Faking It
by Lightspeed Bubba
Summary: Yang Xiao-Long didn't think she'd spend a night out consoling JNPR's resident knight when she left her dorm but, while talking about his problems, Jaune lets it slip that he knows about Pyrrha's feelings and doesn't reciprocate. He doesn't want to make things awkward by rejecting her outright so a plan is hatched. If he's off the market, she'll move on. If only it were that simple.
1. Chapter 1

**PSA the bottom**

**Hello all, I'm back again with another crack ship RomCom thing. Enjoy. **

Contrary to what the populace at Beacon thought, Yang Xiao Long was _not_ a party animal. That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy a night out with friends or getting plastered drunk, but those nights were few and far between. Beacon's stacked curriculum and frequent training/workouts made it nigh impossible to party every night. Still, all that built up stress required release and there was no better place that Yang knew of than The Club.

Was she welcome there? Sort of. Did the staff give her side eyes and charge her extra for drinks? Definitely. Did she let that stop her? Not even close. Sadly, her team had elected to let her go stag. When she asked Ruby, her little sister stuck out her tongue and said "clubs are gross, besides, I haven't gotten any quality time with Crescent Rose since the school year started." Weiss simply scoffed and said she should work on one of the three essays they'd been assigned that week instead. Blake… well, her partner simply ignored the question and kept reading which Yang took as a hard no.

Going alone didn't bother Yang too much if she was being honest, it made the night less fun overall, but it forced her to make new friends while dancing or drinking. It was how a ton of memorable, if not always good, nights started. Just a girl, a drink, a dance floor, and a dream. With her entourage decided, she donned her attire for the evening; a pair of jet black leather pants with tiny slits along the sides, a white half shirt with a golden dragon curled up in the center, and her trusty leather jacket with the extra pockets for keys, a wallet, and a pair of brass knuckles. While The Club had a strict "no weapons" policy, her dad had driven it into her head to never go anywhere unarmed. Normally, she'd wear her gauntlets but after her last outing at her desired establishment, she doubted they'd get past security. So, brass knuckles it was.

She waved to her team as she headed out the door, telling them she'd see them in the morning. She grabbed Bumblebee from the motor pool and made sure it was loaded up into the cargo area of the Bullhead, slid into her seat, and relaxed. The flight was relatively short and gave her a great view of the city. The hustle and bustle of the night life was always a treat to see. Bright neon signs advertising various attractions from liquor to food to "live entertainment". Couples chatted and laughed as they walked down the streets.

Her ride landed and she mounted Bumblebee before speeding off into the night. The Club was a bit of a hike from the landing platform, taking her through the main drag and nearly into the industrial district. Her travels led her to a massive converted apartment complex. A man in a jet-black suit with a red tie stood at the main door with a clipboard. To his right was a massive line of men and women in button up shirts and pressed jeans for the former and form fitting pants and skirts for the latter. Yang skipped over the line and when she was about to be questioned by the door man, she shot him a wink and flexed her hands. She watched as a lance of fear passed through him as the recognition kicked in and he nodded that she could go in. She thanked the man with a wink and stepped inside while a chorus of complaints echoed behind her.

The Club made great use of the space they had. In the center of the room was a massive checkerboard dance floor. Overhead were at least a dozen lights all flashing different colors and shades. Sitting above the crowd, posted on what looked to be four of the largest speakers in Vale, sat the DJ in his black and red bear mask. On the left and right walls were bars that spanned the entire length with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of liquor bottles all sat neatly on the shelves for decoration or consumption. It was there that Yang went first, a girl needed a drink after all. She toyed with the idea of shooting someone a smile or two and getting someone else to do it but decided against it when she saw that everyone at the bar was occupied with somebody else.

She slid up to the bar and let her eyes wander around. It was a packed house for sure, something to be expected on a Friday night. She tried to catch the eye of the bartender but failed several times. Anywhere else and she might be annoyed but, given everything that had happened here, she let it slide with a roll of her eyes. It was going to be one of _those _nights again. She contented herself with watching people have fun on the dance floor. Yang was just getting invested in watching a particularly pudgy man steal the show when two people slipped up next to her.

On her right was a decently tall guy with a pale white complexion and a shockingly bright purple undercut. He was handsome and well-built with steel blue eyes that sparkled with the lights. His black V-neck fit a cream-colored skinny jeans him perfectly, like they'd been painted on. He smiled at her like she imagined a lion would smile at a gazelle. On her left was a dark-skinned girl with crisp, slicked back hair the color of a cloudless sky. Her eyes were hypnotic, all swirling soft purples that had to be the effect of some top of the line contacts. She wore a pair of navy shorts that were an inch or two away from being an indecent exposure charge. Her top was a simple thing, a flowy off the shoulder shirt that matched her shorts. She had much of the same smile as her companion.

The boy on her right leaned against the bar top.

"Haven't seen you around here before Beautiful." The girl on her left nodded, letting her fingers trail up Yang's wrist.

"You must be new. There's no way we would've let someone like you slip through our fingers." Yang rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Aren't you two just a couple of smooth talkers." The man shrugged and smirked, gesturing to the bartender.

"What'll you have, gorgeous?"

"I'll take a strawberry sunrise." He nodded and snagged the bartender, ordering three sunrises and a round of vodka shots while the girl tugged on her arm.

"Why don't go get a table while he gets our drinks?" Yang resisted the pull.

"I think I'll wait here for mine, thanks." The girl cocked her head while the boy smirked.

"You don't trust us? I'm hurt." She scoffed.

"A girl can't be too careful now, can she?" He held up his hands in surrender and the three made small talk while waiting for their cocktails. Yang learned that his name was Skyler and hers was Opal. They were Huntsmen in training on vacation from Haven, something they made a point of bringing up over and over again. It might've even done something to woo her had she not been one herself. Not that they really her get a word in edgewise to tell them so. Still, they got their drinks and Opal led the way to a booth in the shadows of the corner of the room. They sat on her sides again with Opal's hands always finding a way to touch her while Skyler kept an arm around the back of her spot.

She knew what was happening. They were hoping to woo a pretty blonde girl into a night of passion with two Huntsmen to be. She wouldn't be surprised if Skyler had asked the bartender to slip a bit more liquor into her drink than was necessary. On another night, Yang might've taken the plunge, a threesome was on her bucket list after all. But not tonight. She wanted to have a good time but not _that_ good of a time. So, Yang sipped her drink and ignored the shot while they tried to tag team her. She played along until it got boring, which was when she excused herself to go to the bathroom with the intention of not returning to the table.

As she left the shadowy corner, a mop of blonde hair caught her eye. Sitting alone in a booth with a cup of soft amber liquid in front of him, looking as dejected as a person can, was Jaune Arc. She never thought of him as a club kind of guy. He felt more like a stay at home and play board games kind of guy. Someone more likely to spend the night training or going to bed early than goofing off. If she were honest, he probably should still be training if his combat performances were anything to go by. Nobody was winless in Goodwitch's class, sure some people had bad records but everyone got lucky or caught someone on a bad day and stole a win or two. Everyone except for Jaune Arc.

Yang pitied him; he wasn't a bad guy. He was nice enough and had decent taste in video games, being the only other person who can give her a hard time in Combat Fighter 8. Sure, he was a bit annoying with his attempts at dating Weiss but those had stopped since that Neptune guy had started gathering her attention. Now he seemed to take a much more friend like approach with the Schnee heiress, opting to just smile and say hi as opposed to write another love ballad.

Her curiosity piqued; she made her way to her fellow blonde. As Yang got closer, she thought she could hear sniffling. Now more interested than ever, she stepped to the edge of the table. For a moment, she considered doing something to scare her him. Maybe slam her hand down on the table or sneak up behind his booth. It would be hilarious, even more so since Jaune's panic scream was one of the funniest things Yang had ever heard. She thought better of it as her suspicions were confirmed. She spoke, just loud enough to be heard over the roaring bass.

"Jaune?" His head popped up in an instant and, moving faster than she'd ever seen him move, wiped his face. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks pink but he smiled at her. It was the least genuine smile Yang had ever seen, which was definitely saying something since she'd seen Pyrrha interact with a couple fans who she very much did _not_ want to see. He gave a small shake of his head took a breath.

"Yang! Hey." He threw an arm over the back of the booth and brought his drink to his lips, trying to be suave. As the liquid passed his lips his face contorted in pain and he coughed and set the drink down. The fit passed and he looked up at her meekly. "Come here often?" Yang sighed and crossed her arms.

"Yes actually. Which is why I know you don't." He shrugged.

"Maybe I just wanted to get out of the dorms for a bit and cut loose." She scoffed.

"Cut loose? By yourself?" He leaned to one side, looking past her.

"Looks like that's what you're doing." She pointed a thumb to herself.

"But _I _am a lioness on the prowl for fun and excitement." She gestured to him. "You, on the other hand, are Vomit Boy, expeller of stomach contents and ruiner of shoes."

"How many times am I going to have to say sorry about that?" She shrugged.

"I'll let you know when you get there." He sighed and leaned back and Yang let her voice soften.

"Why are you really here Jaune? You're sitting alone in the dark with a glass of whiskey that, from the sound of those coughs and the look on your face, you really don't want to be drinking." She sat down in the booth; hands folded. "What's up?" He looked at her for a second before sighing and mumbling out an answer. She shifted closer.

"What was that?" He set his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands.

"I had a date." She cocked an eyebrow.

"Had?" He nodded, letting his head rest on the table while a finger idly played along the top of his glass.

"Yeah, had." He pushed the drink away. "She… she never really showed up." Ouch. Getting stood up on a first date was always a rough one. She would know, being on the receiving end of one or two in her years of dating. She inched herself closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's her loss then." He scoffed and tapped his fingers on the table. A silence had set in between them and Yang was at a loss as for what to do. When she had been ghosted, she cried on her dad's shoulder for an hour then punched the kid in the face the next day and everything was back to normal. She had a feeling that Jaune would go about things differently than she did.

"Can you tell me who it was? Maybe she didn't know you were here and is in the same boat you're in." He let out a laugh that had zero joy in it.

"She's right over there." He waved dismissively to the dance floor and Yang followed his hand, hoping to see a familiar face. When she did, her eyebrows nearly shot up into her hairline.

"You asked out Misty Cobalt?" He nodded. "Mayhem Misty? Cannibal Cobalt!? Fisty Misty? _That_ Misty Cobalt?" Her arms were flailing about at this point. "Why the hell would you ask her out!?" He shrugged. Misty was one of the meanest girls Yang had ever met. They'd been in the same year since they started school and every year, without fail, she managed to get suspended. Most of the time it was for fighting outside of designated areas. Other times it was for smoking or drinking on school grounds. One time she even got busted spray painting a dick on the Headmaster's car. Any other kid would've been expelled after one of those incidents but the popular theory that went around the school was that Misty's dad was some bigshot lawyer for the council.

"Do you only go after girls who hate you? Is it like a fetish of yours or something?" He shrugged again. Yang shook her head. "Not good enough VB, why Misty? Why Weiss?" When he remained silent, she shoved him lightly. "Spill it." He groaned and she repeated her action. It took a few more attempts but, eventually, he caved and spun to face her.

"I don't know, alright? I really don't. Maybe I like stern, opinionated women. Maybe I'm a masochist. Maybe I go after them because I know I'm going to fail and it doesn't hurt as much! Is that what you want to hear? Huh?" It was a foreign thing for Yang, hearing Jaune get mad. She liked to think she understood anger better than most, it being a crucial part of her Semblance and all that. She hadn't thought Jaune would be an angry crier, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. Everyone in Beacon would deal with him easily if he started throwing punches when he got mad so crying/yelling were one of the few things he had left if he didn't want to bottle it all up.

As she stared at him, the tears fell down his cheeks as he panted. She felt bad for pushing but sometimes you needed to push to get to the heart of things. Yang brought her hands up and shifted a little ways away from her fellow blonde.

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to touch a nerve. I just… wanted to understand. Maybe I could help then." He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his button up shirt and turned back to the table.

"I shouldn't have yelled like that. It's not your fault, it's mine." He took a deep breath. "I just… I don't know what I'm doing. I go up to a girl, I say a stupid, cheesy line, then ask her out. It's what my dad taught me and it seemed to work for him so I figured that it should work for me too. Except it hasn't." Yang patted him on the arm.

"A couple of things. First of all, everyone has different styles when it comes to dating. Some people have a lot of luck with pick-up lines, some are better at developing a relationship with people they're already close to. Second of all, everybody is different. There's no one thing that will magically make everyone fall in love with you." He picked his head up and leaned back against the booth. He wiped the last of the tears out of his eyes before looking at her.

"Thanks Yang." She gave him a soft slug in the arm.

"You can pay me back with a drink." He nodded and flagged down a waitress, ordering two strawberry sunrises. "Done with the hard stuff?" She said with a smirk. He chuckled and nodded.

"I think so, yeah. How do people drink that stuff?" She shook her head.

"No idea." After receiving their drinks, they clinked glasses and bathed in the atmosphere in comfortable silence. It took another round before Yang asked the question that had been on her mind since she was made aware of it.

"So, Fisty Misty falls for pick-up lines, huh?" Her moment to speak had been perfectly timed to coincide with a Jaune taking a large sip of his drink. She let out a hearty belly laugh as she watched him cough and sputter. As he finished, he shot her a dirty look that turned into a laugh.

"Sort of. Her exact words were 'cute enough, be at The Club on Friday or I'll bury you.'" Yang felt giggles slip from her lips and soon enough, Jaune joined in. After another round of drinks, including a shot or two, Yang spoke.

"You know, there are girls at Beacon that like you that aren't crazy or snooty." She nudged him with her shoulder and he groaned, staring into his glass. Of all the reactions Yang expected to get, that wasn't one of them. Who reacted like that to finding out someone liked after striking out so many times?

"You mean Pyrrha." The blonde brawler's eyebrows shot up. It had been a running joke in their friend group since the beginning of the year that Jaune was too dense to see Pyrrha's advances. It seemed that they needed to get more current information. Nonetheless, Yang nodded.

"If you know, then why not go after her?" He shook his head.

"Pyrrha is one of my best friends, someone who knows as much about me as someone can. We get along great, we crack jokes and train together. Heck, we even live together." Yang cocked an eyebrow at him again.

"Those are good things, right?" He nodded. "Sooooooo... why not?"

"Because I don't see her that way. We're friends and I like it like that." Yang could really sympathize with his position. In her years, she'd been asked out by friends a couple of times and it was always a bit awkward. She never felt the same way they did but they were her friends and she felt bad for rejecting them. In the end, she did and things ended up fine but feelings easily could've turned sour. Jaune's position was an even worse one since he couldn't avoid her until the awkwardness passed, they lived together. Not to mention what it would do to Ren and Nora, and maybe even Team RWBY, maybe forcing them all to pick sides. Yes, Team JNPR's resident blonde was in a sticky situation.

"Tough spot for you there VB." He grunted in affirmation. "How long have you known?" He peaked over at her.

"A week or so. She left her diary open on her desk and I saw our names in a heart together. I might not be good at picking up on hints but even I can see what that means." He sighed. "Any ideas as to what I should do?" She tapped her finger on her chin when an idea entered her mind that made her chuckle.

"We could pretend to date, then she'd have to get over you." The chuckle evolved into full belly laughter. After nearly a minute, Yang looked up to see Jaune not only not laughing, but scratching his chin in thought.

"That could work…" Yang waved her hands in front of her.

"Uh-uh. No way VB, that was just a joke." He shook his head.

"But you're right! We could start 'dating' and when we were sure Pyrrha was over me or dating someone else then we could 'break up' and go back to normal. It's perfect! You're a genius Yang!" She narrowed her eyes and placed leaned forward, getting right up in his personal space.

"Maybe you didn't hear me Jaune. We are _not_ doing that. If you want to use the plan, fine but it won't be with me." He looked at her for a second and then pulled out his Scroll.

"Alright, well if it isn't going to be you, then it has to be Ruby." Her hand shot out, lightning fast and clamped onto his wrist.

"Try again." He turned to her; his face full of more fear than anyone she'd ever seen. He dropped his Scroll to the table and held up his hands in surrender as Yang pulled back.

"Alright, so a "no" on Ruby, got it. But if not you and not her, then I'm out of options Yang. Weiss can barely stand to be in the same room as me, which is an improvement. I've said six words to Blake all semester and she keeps staring at me like she hates me. Nora's out of the question since she's the biggest supporter of me and Pyrrha getting together and she'd never let me get near Ren so he's out too." He clasped his hands together and begged. "Please Yang, it has to be you. I promise, I'll be the best fake boyfriend you've ever had. I can do all your homework, I'll carry your books, I'll help you study, I'll pay for all of our 'dates', please, oh please. Please please please please please please please pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaassssssseeeee?"

Yang stared at him for a full minute, considering the proposition. It wasn't a bad deal. She'd get out school work for a few weeks, a month or two tops, and she'd get some free food. She had a pretty easy role in the whole thing. Make googly eyes, hold hands, maybe a cheek kiss or two in public. Nothing too strenuous. She looked down at the table and thought back to everything that led up to this moment. All in all, it wouldn't be the dumbest thing she'd done. With a sigh, Yang turned back to him and spoke.

"Fine." He nearly jumped out of the booth and into her arms but she gripped his shoulder and held him in place. "But. There will be boundaries." He nodded vigorously.

"Definitely. You set the pace. We only need to be convincing in front of Pyrrha and maybe Nora. Other than that, we act normally." She nodded. They'd iron out the details in the morning, right now though, it was time to do what she came to do. With a nod, she slammed the last of her drink and grabbed Jaune by the wrist.

"Come on 'boyfriend', we're going dancing." He nodded again.

"Yes ma'am. You won't regret this Yang; you have my word. An Arc never goes back on his word." A chill ran down her spine. She had a bad feeling about this.

**PSA: This is going to be around 7 chapters long with new chapters coming out about once a month. That can be sped along with reviews which do marvelous things for encouragement. So, if you want more story, tell me. Until next time, may Fortune favor you all. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy shit lads, the reception to this was incredible and I am so happy. Just so everyone knows, it's cool to double review, in fact, it's encouraged. More reviews means more interesting which means I make more of this story. As a reward for your support, here's a meaty chapter. Enjoy.**

Yang Xiao-Long huffed and puffed down the hallway with what most would call a mind splitting headache that should've left her feeling like a shambling pile of discarded bar napkins and vodka. However, she simply referred to it as a light hangover. The sun was shining, the courtyard was bustling, and the people of Beacon moved about the campus like a decently oiled machine. She felt pretty good in spite of the four strawberry sunrises that graduated into eight shots of straight tequila and two Liquid Cocaines. Maybe her stomach was a bit upset but it was nothing that a decent cup of coffee and a light run couldn't help with. The same could not be said for her companion that she was half dragging/half carrying to his room.

Yang had been right in her assessment that Jaune wasn't a partier. Granted, anyone who spent more than ten minutes with him could've said the same thing but the point stands. He had made the mistake that so many before him had made; trying to keep up with Yang Xiao-Long. She wasn't sure if it was something related to her Semblance or maybe something from the Branwen side of the family, but her tolerance for alcohol was a true thing of legend.

In spite of having to drag Jaune home and getting roped into his little scheme, Yang would call the night a success. In retrospect, she did wish that they'd sat down and made some contingency plans for when they inevitably got questioned as to the nature of their relationship but the liquor had been flowing and the music was infectious. She was good at improvisation and Jaune… well, she had faith in him. Sort of. At least a little…

After what felt like an eternity, she made it to Team JNPR's dorm and rapped her knuckles upon it. Yang had slung an arm around Jaune's back in an effort to keep him upright but as her hand touched the wood, her grip slipped and he slammed into the ground, groaning like the dead. The door opened as he landed and she was treated to the sight of a very concerned Pyrrha.

"Yang?" The aforementioned blonde reached down and scooped up her companion.

"Hey P-money." She grunted as he began to slide out of her hands again. "Little help here?" Pyrrha was on her in a flash, getting under his other arm and preventing another chance meeting with the ground. "Appreciate it." The two walked Jaune into his room and half placed/half dropped him onto his bed. Yang took a breath and leaned back, feeling her vertebrae crack and pop. It was then that she realized the rest of Team JNPR were staring at her. In retrospect, she should've assumed that would happen.

"Morning guys. Your fearless leader here had a bit too much to drink last night and is currently paying the price. Let him sleep it off and get him some water. He should be good by like four." Ren nodded and returned to the book he was reading. Nora shot her a hard look.

"So, _you _were the mystery lady that our Jaune Jaune had a date with last night." Pyrrha's gaze turned to stone and she crossed her arms. Yang could definitely see why they'd think that and it _would _give them an out for creating a story. On the other hand, she was nearly positive that Pyrrha was trying to blow her head up telepathically, so much so that Yang was tempted to call the plan off. When in Vale… She held up her hands.

"Guilty as charged." Immediately, the temperature spiked about five thousand degrees and Yang was thanking her lucky stars that she had no visible metal on her, lest she be turned into some bad modern art. Slowly, she began to back out of the room with the two redheads glaring great swords into her. "I guess… I should goooooooo…" She pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the door. For a moment, Yang thought about coming clean about the whole thing but that would be pretty terrible of her and a small part of her hoped this little fiasco would expedite Pyrrha's moving on process.

As she felt herself leave the threshold of the room, she closed the door as quickly as she could. Her back to the door, she slid down and took a deep breath. Her and Jaune's "relationship" was off to a stunning start. She pitied her fake boyfriend. He'd be left to fend for himself against Nora and Pyrrha while they half tortured him to get answers about last night. Worse still, he'd have to pass on that they had a "proper date" tonight at The Pier in Vale. She'd have to tell her team that as well, but it shouldn't be too big of a deal. Ruby might be mad but she'd get over it. Blake wouldn't care in the least and Weiss would just be glad that there wouldn't be a danger of him hitting on her anytime soon.

Picking herself up, she pulled out her Scroll and scanned her way into her dorm. Inside, Weiss sat on her bed, dragging a brush through her hair while berating Ruby for not being up already. The diminutive Team Leader was still wiping sleep from her eyes and probably trying to block her partner out. Blake simply nodded to the blonde as she walked in and went back to the textbook in her lap. Luckily for Ruby, Yang's entrance pulled Weiss's attention.

"I trust you used protection last night." Yang rolled her eyes.

"Yeah mom, I had all seventeen of my sexual partners put condoms on over their hazmat suits before we engaged in any sexual intercourse." Weiss hmphed and went back to brushing her hair while Ruby yawned and asked.

"What'd you do last night?" Yang eased herself onto her bed and kicked off her boots. They looked fantastic and really helped bring her outfit together but man, were they uncomfortable.

"Took Bumblebee out to The Club last night, had a few drinks, danced until my feet hurt, got a date for tonight, and crashed at a hotel until morning." She hoped that nobody would comment on the date thing. Once again, she regretted not working out a proper story with Jaune but such was life.

"You always come back with a date when you go out in those pants." Damn it. She should've known that Ruby would latch onto that word. Yang couldn't deny the statements accuracy though. Over the years, the slit leather pants had served her well, she shouldn't have expected last night to be any different. "Anyone we know?" And there it was. The million-lien question. Briefly, Yang considered lying but it wouldn't do anything and there was no way that Nora and Pyrrha weren't going to say something, probably soon. Yang ran a hand through her hair, her finger curling several strands around it.

"Well, uh, yeah actually. I uh," This was harder than she thought it would be. She cleared her throat and tried to collect her thoughts. "I have a date tonight with… Jaune…" All of Remnant ground to a screeching halt and Yang felt three sets of eyes shift to her.

In retrospect, she should've expected the pillow that slammed into her face.

"Yang! You're not allowed to date my friends!" She whined and threw another pillow that Yang managed to dodge this time. The blonde looked to Weiss who opened her mouth and then closed it. After a second try (and a third pillow from Ruby), the Heiress shook her head.

"While I think the decision is a truly awful one, at least it means he won't be flirting with me anymore." Then she went back to brushing her hair, like nothing happened. Her eyes moved to her partner and Blake looked… confused more than anything else. It made sense, Blake had never seen Yang interact with Jaune for more than an hour or two and never outside of a group setting. Mostly because that _was _the only time they interacted. The stare continued and Yang felt herself chuckle awkwardly.

"Something on your mind Kitty Kat?" She was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"No… just surprised is all. You two don't talk much, not that I've seen at least." Weiss nodded.

"It is a bit strange. The only time we've see you two together is when you're playing that stupid video game."

"Yeah, you guys don't seem to have a lot in common." Ruby added. Yang had to think fast before they poked more holes in the plan. Her mind was racing, what could she tell them to make it all stick? That she'd been playing hard to get? No, that was stupid. That she had a secret crush, a la Pyrrha? No, they knew that wasn't true. Maybe, just maybe, she could give them a slice of the truth. It was only one date after all, people went on dates all the time! Her plan was crazy but it just might work… And she knew the perfect way to deliver it.

"It just kind of happened…" She shrugged. Her teammates narrowed their gazes. After a few seconds, Weiss rolled her eyes and went back to prepping for the day. Ruby took a little longer to disengage but eventually nodded, somehow justifying the whole thing in her head because her big sister would _never _lie about something as important as this. Blake… Blake continued to stare from above. Yang shrugged again as if that would explain it all away. Miraculously, it did. She returned to her book but Yang could still see the crease of her brow. She'd worry about it later, now she had to change into something comfier, get a light training session in and then get some much-needed rest before she had to get ready for her date. She was in the clear…. Sort of.

-/-

In Yang's opinion, nothing quite helped get over stress like beating on training robots while listening to insanely high tempo music. On a logical level, she knew there was nothing worth stressing about. She and Jaune were just going to The Pier, walk around for a bit, maybe play a few games, then grab some food and come home. It wasn't a real date and technically, they didn't _have_ to go to The Pier. As soon as they left Beacon's campus, they could go their separate ways. But The Pier was free attendance for students and it was always more fun with someone else. Plus, she'd get some free food out of it if Jaune held up his end of the bargain, something she intended to ensure.

If there was one downside to going on the "date" outside of the obvious one, it was dressing up for it. It was a first date and you were definitely expected to put your best foot forward. Plus, there was definitely something to be said about going out and knowing you look good. Thankfully, Yang had a plan.

After a quick shower to fully wake up from her nap, she started digging through piles of clothes. Eventually, she found a pair of black denim high waisted shorts to couple with a golden sleeveless shirt and an old (but still serviceable) pair of white converses. Now came the hard part; her hair. You could make a serious argument that Yang had the best hair in the school, regardless of class or grade. Sadly, that much beauty was a challenge to maintain and shampoo and conditioner could only do so much. The rest had to be done with vigorous brushing and setting spray. So, she went to work in front of the vanity mirror in the bathroom.

Hoping to avoid the noxious cloud that was about to be born, Ruby scuttled off to work on Crescent Rose in the Forge, Beacon's resident weapon repair and upgrade zone. Weiss, also hoping to not die of asphyxiation, ran off to the library. Blake, oddly enough, stayed behind. Yang could still see that look in her eye, she saw something suspicious. The blonde brawler hoped to ward off the impending conversation by using more setting spray and headphones with the volume cranked up to eleven. Sadly, it seemed that Blake was determined.

"So, you and Jaune." Yang was in between songs and, as luck would have it, her instincts had kicked in and her head turned to her partner. Those damn Huntsman instincts would be the death of her, she swore. Yang nodded and looked back to the mirror.

"Yep." She let the "p" pop as it left her lips. Blake had moved from her bed to the bathroom doorway, essentially sealing off Yang's last line of defense. Closing the door would've been a true desperation move as it would trap _her _in a room with all those chemicals but it was a risk she was willing to take… sort of.

"Tell me again how this all came to be." Yang shrugged.

"It just kind of happened." Blake nodded.

"Uh-huh." She crossed her arms, leaning against the frame. "Who asked who out?" Yang scoffed.

"Of course, he asked me, Blake. Everyone loves me." While an exaggeration, it was only a small one. Yang had no shortage of offers over the years from boys, girls, and everyone in between. Blake let out a small chuckle and let her head rest against the doorframe. Her gaze had softened and she opened her mouth to speak when a chime echoed from Yang's Scroll. She checked it and saw a message from Vomit Boy.

**Vomit Boy - I'm outside when you're ready.**

She shot him a reply saying she'd be right out and tossed the brush in a basket and left the setting spray on the table.

"Got to go Kitty Kat, my paramour awaits." She grabbed her coat and was out the door before Blake could get a thought out.

"Yang wa-" The door closed and Yang ignored her partner's words. Out in the hall, she was greeted to the sight of her date who looked… pretty decent actually. There were still dark rings under his eyes, reminders of last night, but she supposed they could be forgiven considering they were at least partially her fault. Thankfully, he'd not worn that ratty old blue jeans and hoodie, she'd have turned around cancelled everything right there. You don't need to go all out for a date but you had to at least look like you tried. Instead, Jaune opted for a set of dark blue, nearly indigo, jeans that didn't sag off his hips or look like they'd been made for someone three sizes larger than him. For a top he'd gone with a white V-neck that showed off his chest.

Yang was definitely pleased, at least he was taking this whole thing seriously. Past her date, standing in the doorway was Ren and behind him were Nora and Pyrrha who had murder in their eyes. Jaune smiled at her awkwardly.

"Hey Yang. You look… great!" The words tumbled from his lips probably much louder than he'd intended. Before she could reply, she heard from behind him.

"Have him home by eight!" She fought the urge to roll her eyes. It wouldn't be much of a date then, being that it was already five thirty but she supposed that was the point. Ren sighed and shot her a look of sympathy before nudging Jaune out the door.

"Be safe and have fun." Yang nodded, offered an arm that Jaune took, and off they went. The only sound in the hallway being the slam of JNPR's door and muffled shouting. She couldn't make out any words but, based on the tone, it wasn't good. As they rounded the corner, Yang spoke

"How're you doing? After last night and whatever Pyrrha and Nora did to you, I'm surprised you're still alive, let alone decently dressed." He let out a dry laugh and nodded down to himself.

"You can thank Ren for the outfit. They're my clothes but he helped me pick it all out. He's a wizard when it comes to this stuff, I swear." He took a deep breath as they left the dorm house. It was a pretty nice afternoon, warm enough to justify shorts but when the sun went down, a jacket was a nice thing to have around. "As for how I'm doing, I'm doing… alright. My head's still throbbing but I'm not sure if that's the hangover or from Nora's yelling." Yang cocked an eyebrow. She'd known that the two girls wouldn't be happy but full on shouting seemed more than a bit much. Jaune seemed to catch Yang's look and continued.

"Nora said it was because I didn't tell them who the date was with and I could've been kidnapped and sold into slavery or some other crazy thing." He sighed. "At least Pyrrha didn't freak out or anything. If I didn't know she had feelings for me, I'd have said that she looked… normal, I guess. Maybe a little annoyed but I would've written it off as because I came home so hungover." He let out a laugh even more dry than the last one. "I guess I really can be that dense." Yang nodded and nudged his shoulder with her own.

"Don't worry VB, we'll get you fixed someday." He laughed and lightly shoved her as they reached the Bullhead platform. They took their seats and the pilot told them to hold on tight. Some strong winds were coming from the east. It wasn't bad enough that they had to wait for them to die down but they'd be swaying more than normal. Immediately Jaune groaned.

They took their seats with Yang leaving a space between her and her date. She was willing to do a fair bit to keep the ruse going but getting vomit on a second pair of shoes was out of the question. As he sat down, Jaune leaned forward, sticking his head between his legs. Yang shot him a sideways look.

"Uh, Jaune? Why're you in the crash position?" He popped back up.

"I read that that was a good position to deal with air sickness." Yang pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No. You need some ginger ale, Dramamine, or a distraction for air sickness. Sticking your head in the floor like that is supposed to help you survive a crash." He looked around the area and then sighed.

"You wouldn't happen to have any Dramamine or ginger ale on you, would you?" She patted her pockets and shook her head.

"Fresh out I'm afraid." He groaned again and leaned back; his eyes closed. The engines kicked in and the Bullhead began to rise. Yang took a second to think. She was going to be spending the entire evening with him so having him throw up at all was going to be a problem. Nobody wanted to be around someone who smelled like puke. So, Yang went into Big Sister Mode™ and hopped into the seat adjacent to him.

"Lean forward a bit." He cracked open an eye and did as instructed. Slowly Yang began to run her hand along the center of his back. He tensed at her touch but relaxed after a few seconds.

"Th- Thanks." She nodded.

"Don't tell her I said this, but Ruby used to get motion sick growing up." He stared at the floor for a few seconds before turning to her.

"Hey wait a second. Ruby made fun of me for getting sick! Oh, she is so going to get it next time I see her!" Yang chuckled and continued to run her palm up and down. While nobody would call him ripped like herself or Pyrrha, Jaune had done a magnificent job getting into shape. The proof was right beneath her fingertips.

They managed to get lucky on their trip into Vale as they'd only hit one real bad patch of winds that sent Jaune's stomach roiling. It was a testament to his fortitude that he managed to keep everything inside. As they got through the worst of it, the mainland came into view. From their vantage point, they could see the Ferris wheel with its flashing lights and brightly colored cars. The pilot eased them back to solid ground and the "couple" stepped out onto solid ground. They waved off the pilot and began the short walk to The Pier.

It didn't take long for them to be enveloped by the throngs of people who had the same idea as them. Groups of all kinds of people, young and old, couples and solos, Faunus and humans. All were welcome at The Pier. Well, maybe not welcome but the scam artists there had no problem stealing lien from anyone.

"As thanks for helping me not throw up all over the ship, all games are on me tonight." Yang snickered.

"As part of our deal, they were _already _on you VB." He stopped in his tracks less than ten feet from the entrance, much to the chagrin of the people behind them.

"Oh yeah." He brought his hand to his chin. Yang reached out and grabbed his arm, dragging him back into the fray.

"Win me a prize and we'll call it even." He thought for a second and nodded.

"Deal." With that, they headed inside.

The Pier was a visual and audio nightmare, to put it lightly. There was so many attractions, from game stalls to rides to haunted houses even, that all the meshing aesthetics and themes just became a mess. Top all of that with thousands of people shouting and talking along with music coming from virtually every construct and it was a lot to take in. Yang loved it. There was a sort of beauty to the ordered chaos and an infectious energy.

As the "couple" crossed the threshold, they were greeted by a man in snow white pants and a red and white striped vest. He gestured wildly with a cane while shouting.

"Come one, come all to test your might with Henry's Huntsman Hammer! Huntsmen and civilians alike are welcome to try! Ring the bell and win a prize, simple as that folks!" He jabbed the cane out, singling out Jaune. "You there! Strapping young lad as you are with a pretty lady on your side. She sure looks like she could use a prize!" Yang rolled her eyes with a smile before turning to the aforementioned blonde.

"Come on "strapping young lad," you heard the man. Your "lady" needs a prize." Jaune looked at her and then at the machine before making his way to the row of hammers. It was a simple thing, about twenty feet high with lights trailing upwards with words next to them ranging from "Child" all the way up to "Henry's Long-Lost Cousin." In theory, a decent challenge but there was always a trick with these things. A certain sweet spot that all but guaranteed success while anywhere else ensured failure. Yang found herself leaning against the fence that surrounded the hitting space while the man continued.

"Come one, come all and watch" he turned to Jaune and lowered his voice. "What's your name son?"

"Uh, Jaune. Jaune Arc, Huntsmen in trai-" The man waved a hand at him.

"Yeah, whatever." His voice spiked again. "Come one, come all watch John Art try to conquer Henry's Huntsman Hammer!" Jaune glared at the man before selecting his hammer, a thin sticked silver thing with a comically oversized head reminiscent of Magnhild. He took a breath, did his best impression of Nora, and slammed the head down onto the pad. A metal ball rocketed up the shaft about two thirds of the way before slowing to a halt at "Stud" and falling back down. The man shook his head.

"A good try son but that'll be five lien." Jaune grumbled but handed the man a note before returning to Yang.

"Nice try slugger. All that training must be paying off." She chuckled and Jaune shook his head.

"I thought I hit it right but I guess not." Yang patted his shoulder before stepping up the man.

"Yo Henry! The pretty lady would like a shot." He turned from the gathering crowd to Yang and she could have sworn she saw money signs in his eyes.

"Well, well, it's not every day a dame as darling as yourself wants a shot at Ol' Henry but you're more than welcome to try beautiful." She strutted over to the hammers and looked at the biggest one. She gripped the shaft and made a show of not picking it up, feigning that it was just too heavy for her weak, womanly arms. Instead, she selected the smallest one she could, a pink thing with a heart in the center of the head.

She took aim and shot Jaune a smirk. He crossed his arms and watched as she thought of her mother. Her eyes shifted from lilac to blood red and she reared back. With a grunt that could've been mistake for an Ursa, she slammed the hammer down on the front end of the plate. Like a rocket taking flight, the metal ball in the cylinder shot up, crashing into the bell at the top with nearly enough sound and fury to shake the Pier itself. She turned and shot the man a smile, propping the hammer on her shoulder.

"I'll take my prize now." After some deliberation, she settled on the large yellow stuffed dog which she ended up giving to Jaune. When he questioned why, she simply shrugged and said "reminds me of you." and left it at that.

From there, they wandered around, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells that made their presence known. From the neon lights, to the screaming children, to the wafting scent of Pier Pizza. Pier Pizza was a magical thing, easily the size of a grown man's head with enough grease and toppings to make an inspector question the boardwalk's structural integrity. It was a thing of beauty and Yang made a mental note to head back that way and get some before heading back to Beacon.

Their feet carried them to Prize Alley, as the giant sign above their heads indicated. Stalls lined the sides with lines of people all waiting for their turns to win prizes of all kinds. From oversized stuffed animals to little plastic spider rings, Prize Alley truly had it all. Feeling the need to increase her collection of toys, she ushered them to the only open stall in the area. That potentially told Yang a couple of things. Option one, the game was more rigged than usual and word had got around. Option two, he was a jerk that overcharged more than the usual amount. Or option three, his prizes sucked. But the blonde brawler wanted to win something for herself now and waiting in lines isn't something that is ever fun, so she figured it was worth the risk.

Sidling their way up, they were met with a greasy man smoking a cigar and leaning against the frame of his building. In front of them, on the counter, were a selection of guns, all attached to the wood with thick cords. They were thick, solid pieces of half decently carved wood. Iron sights were haphazardly placed atop them and they looked… sticky. Before she could say something and regret her decision, Jaune was already slapping a lien note on the table.

"We'd like to play please." Taking another look at the man, Yang understood why the guns looked sticky; he did too. He wore a white tank top and ratty shorts with stains that just made Yang uncomfortable to look at, let alone think about. It was also the first time she'd seen a real person with jowls, something she thought was only a myth. He puffed his cigar, looked at her "date", shrugged, and said.

"You've got two minutes. Both of you shoot. Hit ten targets, win a small prize. Twenty for a medium. Thirty for one of the big things." He nodded to the rows of things above his head. The small rack was a small collection of bouncy balls and cheap bracelets. The medium row wasn't much better, a few old stuffed animals and some basketballs with team logos she didn't recognize. The top row though, that was where things got interesting. Her eyes locked onto one thing, something that would allow her to torture her team in the most fun way possible; A marshmallow shooter. And not one of the low-quality ones you found in the bargain bins no, this was a good. Neon orange with a pistol grip, padded shoulder stock and a revolving chamber. The box boasted that it could launch projectiles at up to one hundred feet. Yang intended to test that theory.

Jaune followed her gaze up to the orange monstrosity and laughed. Then he shook his head and picked up the rifle, aiming down the sights at the back wall. Yang did the same, hefting the thing against her shoulder and trying not to think about how many showers she'd need to feel clean again. The man grunts and hit a button underneath the counter.

"Go, or whatever." Immediately, cardboard cutouts of Beowolves and Ursa began popping up. Yang took aim and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She tried again and it pulled but then didn't pop back out. After slapping the thing once or twice, she got it to work the way it was supposed to. She slid from target to target, some falling and some not. With any other stall, she might've blamed the machine for cheating her but for all the combat skills Yang possessed, firing a rifle wasn't something she had in her repertoire. It never came up, she punched things with shotgun gauntlets, she didn't hang back and pick targets. Even if she had been more confident in her abilities with the thing, she doubted it would have mattered since her opponent was apparently secretly a marksman.

She wouldn't have pegged him for the type, being someone who used a sword and shield and all. He glided from target to target like he'd been doing this for years and when the bell rang, signaling that their time was up, he looked over to the display one the wall to his left.

"Fifty-two. Dang, I've lost a step." Yang raised an eyebrow and he rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. "I, uh, used to have to do this for my sisters all the time when we were young. My record was fifty-eight, but that was nearly five years ago." He set the gun down and looked to the man who grunted, puffed his cigar, and said.

"Top row." Jaune pointed to the marshmallow gun and as he got it, handed it to Yang.

"Deal fulfilled." She smiled and accepted the gift. She had plans for the beauty. So, so, so, many plans. As they walked away, a low rumble echoed from her left. A second later, her own stomach mimicked the sound.

"You want to get some food?" Yang nodded; it was the best idea she'd heard all day.

They each grabbed a slice of pizza from a small place called "Big Rico's" and took a table that gave them a decent overlook of the Sea of Souls, stuffing their prizes under the table. The Sea was positively tiny in comparison to its big sister, the Atlesian Ocean, to the north but it had a charm all its own. First off, it was significantly warmer and actually allowed people to enjoy going to the beach, especially when you neared the northern tip of Vacuo and it turned into The Cauldron. It was also quite a bit more calm, less crashing waves and more a gentle surf. It made living in Patch a veritable paradise.

She moaned as she bit into her hot pepper, spinach, and bacon nightmare. It was a Xiao-Long household delicacy, something apparently having been passed down for three generations. She wasn't sure how you could pass down something that wasn't what you created but it was good enough that she didn't care. Across the table, Jaune nibbled at his own monstrous slice; a basic thing with pepperoni and extra cheese but classics were classics for a reason. Apparently, her moan was more dramatic than intended as her "date" looked up at her questioningly.

"Maybe I should've had what you're having." He laughed and she nodded. In her opinion, it was the perfect combination of salty and spicy with some extra greenery for flare.

"Maybe someday I'll share, but for now, this is all mine VB."

He giggled and they went back to eating in a comfortable silence. Well, as silent as a carnival full of people next to the ocean can be. With their bellies full, the "couple" decided to relax a bit and digest before making their way back into the masses. Yang leaned back, interlocking her fingers behind her head, letting the cool sea air pelt her skin.

"So tell me VB, where'd you learn to shoot like that?" He scratched his cheek and shrugged.

"My dad taught me a bit when I was younger but if I'm honest, it was Pyrrha." For a second, Yang was surprised until she remembered that the two trained together frequently. It wasn't out of the question that she'd let him shoot her weapon a bit, if anything to get a bit closer to him. She nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Still, I can't imagine you shoot Miló that often." Once again, he shrugged.

"Speaking of winning though, how about you with that hammer? You nearly broke the machine! And the look on that guy's face was priceless." Yang basked in the praise and felt herself smirk.

"All a product of hard work, dedication, and a Semblance designed to help you break stuff." She winked.

"You really used your Semblance on a carnival game?" She nodded.

"Of course. Had a bit of juice left over from training earlier today and I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. Couldn't think of a better way to do it. Plus, I won a prize." He leaned forward pointing at her with one hand and resting on the other.

"Which you gave to me." She shrugged.

"A fair prize for a fair maiden." She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Eh? Eh? You get it? Fair prize, cuz we're at a fai-" a crumpled napkin collided with her nose.

"Boo!" He held up his hand, thumb down. "Gods, how did Ruby survive this long with you around." She tossed the napkin back at him.

"Hey, Ruby's lucky to have a comedian as talented and beautiful as I am around." He snorted and flicked the trash back at her. "Speaking of sisters, Ruby mentioned a while back that you've got _seven_. How's living with all that?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not bad, chaotic as all get out, but it's fun. I'm on the older end of the group so I get to help with all the parental stuff like making dinner and doing hair an all that." Yang chuckled.

"They have you doing hair? That's hil-hair-ious." He rolled his eyes.

"It's not the manliest thing but Mom can't do it all the time and the young ones still need help. Plus, its therapeutic." She nodded and popped out of her chair, stretching her muscles.

"Come on Sassoon, let's bring home a couple more prizes." He stepped out of his chair, discarded their trash and off they went.

Sadly, they would strike out the rest of the night. Yang couldn't get the hang of the fishing game, costing her a golden opportunity to tease Blake. Jaune seemed to be all but useless when it came to throwing a ball at targets instead of shooting them. Darts proved fruitless and finally, they managed to win nothing on a lottery spin even after picking enough numbers to get three quarters of the board. There was one last thing Yang wanted to do before they headed out though; see Vale from atop the Ferris wheel.

Jaune was hesitant at first but she assured him that it would be fine. Mostly because she said she wouldn't hold it against him if he got sick because of it. So, they waited in line until they reached the front. It was then that the attendant, an older lady with pretty blue eyes and mossy green hair, winked at them and let them in. Yang shot her "date" a look of confusion, something that he returned.

They sat across from one another, keeping their prizes between their legs. Jaune opted to stare at the floor of the car at first while Yang took in the sights. From up that high, she could see into the city. It also gave an incredible view of the city skyline against the backdrop of the sunset. It truly was a breathtaking scene, watching all the oranges and yellows slowly drift into purples and pinks while light bounced off the skyscraper's glass. As the wheel reached its apex, it stalled and Jaune peeked over the edge to the old lady who gave him a thumbs up and a smile.

"This is a bit cliché, isn't it?" Her blonde compatriot nodded.

"Seems the operator was trying to give us a 'moment'." He said. She rolled her eyes. What, was she in some cheesy romcom that her dad watched? With a sigh, Jaune leaned back and finally looked out at the world around him.

"It really is beautiful." Yang nodded. As soon as it had stopped, the ride started again.

"Guess she thinks she gave us enough time." He chuckled. "Really wasn't all that long though, was it?" He shook his head.

"Honestly. If we were confessing our love for one another, then I think we'd've needed at least another five minutes." Yang let out a bark of laughter.

"A bit long, don't you think?" He shook his head again.

"You saw what I did for Weiss just to get a date. Imagine what I'd do to tell someone I love them." Yang devolved into a fit of laughter as the ride came to an end. The elderly woman smiled at them again and nodded, apparently thinking she'd done her good deed for the day.

With that though, the "couple" headed out, prizes in hand, back to the Bullhead station. The ride back was devoid of gastrointestinal pyrotechnics, mostly thanks to Jaune squeezing his stuffed dog like his life depended on it and Yang rubbing his back.

They walked back to their dorms, making idle chatter along the way. Night had fallen and there were several students hanging around the quad, mostly upper years playing catch or studying outside on a nice night. They rounded the corner and stopped outside their respective dorms.

"That was fun. You know how to show a lady a good time." The thought crossed her mind on the way in that one, if not both, of their teams would be listening in from the door so they needed to hop into character, at least for a little.

"Yeah, it was. Thanks for giving me a shot." She smirked and nodded.

"G'night Jaune."

"G'night Yang." She leaned in for a hug, forcing him to drop his prize, and he accepted. His hands clasped together on the small of her back while hers linked behind his head. He was a few inches taller than her, not something she was overly used to when hugging someone. Yang was no Pyrrha in terms of height but there was a good chance she was the same as most men and taller than most women. As she pulled away, she giggled.

"Did you put on cologne?" His cheeks darkened and he scratched one with a finger.

"Maybe."

"Not bad." She turned on a heel, grabber her marshmallow gun, scanned her Scroll and stepped into her dorm, closing the door behind her.

She was met with Ruby running up to her at the speed of light, stopping on a dime,

"What happened!? Tell me everything!" Yang looked over to see Weiss thumbing through her Scroll and Blake sequestered up on her bed, a book in hand, as usual. Not wanting to disappoint, the blonde brawler spoke.

"Well it all started when he rode in a white steed…" Maybe she was embellishing… maybe.

Team RWBY officially turned in after Yang's story but she was having trouble falling asleep. She kept thinking back to the fake date and how much fun she had. It was nice to get away from her team and hang around with people who were a bit more… normal for lack of a better term. She loved her team, she really did but Ruby was, well Ruby. Weiss was haughty and a bit stuck up, nowhere near as bad as when the semester started but the problem still reared its head from time to time. Blake was just a bit of a stick in the mud, always reading or studying. It seemed like she never wanted to do anything Yang thought of as fun.

If she'd gone on a date with someone who she actually wanted to date, she was one hundred percent sure she'd have taken the opportunity the old lady gave her to kiss them. Oh well, whoever she went out with after the fiasco with Jaune sure did have some shoes to fill.

The blonde popped out of bed and decided she needed a drink of water, something to help her get to bed. After snagging a sport bottle from her gym bag and getting one from the sink in the bathroom, she turned and was met with Blake.

"Blake? What're you doing up?" She blocked Yang in the bathroom strangely reminiscent of what happened earlier.

"Why'd you agree to go out with Jaune?" Yang sighed.

"I told you, it jus-"

"Just sort of happened. Yeah, I heard you." She crossed her arms. "Now tell me the real reason." She set her bottle down and thought. This was bad, she hadn't planned for this contingency.

"Well I, um, he's cute. And funny, and is super nice…" She was coming up empty on specifics. "He's attentive and gentlemanly. He's pretty smart and sensitive." Blake narrowed her gaze and the blonde felt the room get hotter. Was this what it was like for others when her Semblance was going at full force? She needed to apologize.

"You don't like him, do you?" She sighed and shook her head. "Are you leading him on?" She shook her head again.

"Look, it was his idea." Blake raised an eyebrow. With that, Yang told her everything. In a way, it felt good to tell the truth. She felt like a traitor too but the good outweighed the bad. She finished with.

"You can't tell anyone Blake. Please, it's just until Pyrrha gets over his crush, then we're going back to normal." Her partner stared at her for a full minute before shaking her head, turning on a heel and hopping back into bed.

"This is going to end badly Yang, very badly." The blond took a sip of her water before heading back to bed, hoping that Blake was wrong.

**I have no idea if the geography I described was canon, it was just something I found when searching for a map and someone posted one on Reddit. Also, I know Jaune is canonically on the younger end of his siblings but I made up my own siblings for him before that got announced so I use them. As stated above, more reviews, more chapters in a timely manner. I still reserve the right to take a month if I need to but if the reception keeps being as good as it is, I doubt I'll need it. Until next time, may Fortune favor you all. **


	3. Chapter 3

**PSA at the bottom. A shorter chapter than last time but at least as long as chapter one so don't worry. The reception this story is getting really is incredible to me. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.**

In retrospect, Yang thought she should've seen Pyrrha giving her the cold shoulder coming. She was dating her man after all, if you could call what her and Jaune were doing dating. Still, there was a noticeable tension after the two returned from their night at the Pier. It started a few days after, at breakfast. Yang had grabbed her normal meal of oatmeal, an apple, and a few strips of bacon before taking her normal seat. Her team joined her not a few minutes later. It wasn't until Team JNPR showed up that things went sideways.

Instead of the usual Ren sitting across from her, it was Jaune. She was caught a bit off guard but remembered their deal and accepted it without complaint. Yang said her usual good mornings to everyone which they all repeated back to her. Everyone save Pyrrha, who eyed her suspiciously but kept silent. In any other situation, she'd just assume that the redhead was having a rough morning or didn't sleep well. However, she knew what was happening. She'd seen it before in movies, TV, and her own time in school; the cold shoulder.

A tactic used by anyone and everyone at some point in their lives. However, nobody was more adept at such a skill than a teenage girl. Yang would know, being one herself. There was an art form to it that went beyond simply ignoring the object of your ire. That was the easy part. There was a certain amount of acknowledgement that was to be given to keep the object thinking about you while not outwardly stating anything. In a way, it was a form of psychological torture, a very light one, but one nonetheless.

With everyone at the table, they slid into a comfortable silence as they ate. While she shoveled food into her mouth, Yang thought about what she was going to do that day. She could probably stand to hit the gym and train a bit, that pizza from the other day definitely didn't do her any favors but she'd be damned if it wasn't delicious. After nearly a minute, Pyrrha barged in on her planning.

"Not going to kiss your boyfriend good morning, Yang?" There was an edge in her voice that was very un-Pyrrha. Before Yang could open her mouth, her "boyfriend" spoke, his eyebrows creased together.

"We're eating. Besides, we're taking things slowly in that respect." The redhead looked around, presumably for help with her argument, but nobody seemed keen on taking up the mantle. Not even Nora, staunch supporter as she was. In truth, that surprised Yang. She assumed the ginger would be very much ride or die in her teammates corner but apparently not. A misjudgment then.

When Pyrrha realized she was on an island, she blushed, muttered out an apology with the justification that she didn't sleep well last night and was a bit crabby as a result, and went about her food. The rest of the table passed looks from one to another but eventually ended up shrugging and following the redheaded champion's lead. The rest of breakfast past with no incidents as Nora regaled the group with what she dreamt about the night before. She may be a bit crazy but the girl could tell a story like no one Yang had ever known.

From there, everyone went about their normal routines. Weiss went off to study or make a call to her sister, Yang wasn't really paying attention because it sounded boring. Blake was headed into town to pick up a new book and Ruby headed back to the Forge to finish with some modifications to Crescent Rose. The blonde brawler opted to head to the training room and get a head start on working off those excess calories.

She worked the punching bag for nearly an hour straight, nearly twenty minutes longer than usual. All the while her headphones blared ear rending synth and bass. She'd hit a lot of heavy bags in her time but none matched the ones at Beacon. Something about the leather they used, it just felt perfect when you hit it. On top of the make though, there was also a sensor that connected to her Scroll that monitored her punch speed, number of punches, impact force, and a few other things. She let her mind drift about its construction as she reigned down blows like meteors from an angry god. She was still working out the kinks on her left hook, it was still coming out a bit wider and slower than her right and that just would not stand for her.

When she was in her zone, there was nothing else around. No classes, no Beacon, no teachers, no Team, and no Jaune. Standing at the heavy bag was her happy place. She felt like she was on top of the world, where none could stand in her way and not just because she was hitting an inanimate object. As great as it was, she had a stamina limit like everyone else. Wouldn't do for a Huntress to tear a muscle training. Aura could heal it up easily enough but it was a bad habit to get into that could even end up getting someone killed. Plus, working up a sweat like she was, she was definitely going to leave her smelling like a dumpster that had been left out in the sun for too long. So, with a content sigh, she snagged a towel from the rack in the locker room and headed to the showers.

Beacon's locker rooms were state of the art, to say the least. Each room was quite large with walls of lockers going down the left side and little pockets of them on the right. The pockets formed an upside-down U shape with two wooden benches in the middle to sit down at. It was the showers, though, where the school really flexed its muscle. Perfectly aligned marble floor, cleaned with anti-slip cleaner, and ordained with the Beacon Crest in the center. The showers themselves were each sectioned off like bathroom stalls only significantly roomier. Each shower head had a control panel underneath that allowed the user to tailor their shower experience to exactly what they wanted. It was fully stocked with several kinds of body washes and shampoos as well as a dock to place one's Scroll if they wanted to play music while bathing.

Being that it was a weekend and most students didn't like being naked in the presence of others, the area was deserted in spite of its opulence. The scalding water was heavenly and she could feel her muscles unwinding. Showers had to be one of mankind's greatest inventions. There was little more that was as therapeutic as a good, hot spray of water running down her back.

Sadly, heaven could not last forever, lest she turn into some extra-large golden raisin. She shut the water off, grabbing an extra towel for her hair from the rack, and made her way to the locker she stored her clothes in. She began to hum to herself as she dried off until she heard the door on the far side of the room open and two familiar voices ring out in the space.

"Feel any better?"

"Not really." It was Nora and Pyrrha. Having an inkling as to their workout regimes and not having seen them in the training room she was in, Yang assumed they must've been sparring or something of the like.

"Maybe a hot shower will help." Thankfully, walls of lockers separated them and the blonde was able to hide away in her corner. Were it anyone else, she might have made her presence known and said hello, maybe get some small talk in. With those two however, she thought it best to just leave them alone for the time being when she could. She didn't feel like getting glared at or questioned about the nature of her "relationship" again. Yang heard a sigh, presumably from Pyrrha.

"I don't know. I just… Did they not seem strange at breakfast to anyone else?"

"Not really. Most people aren't as gung-ho about PDA as you are Pyr." Yang nodded. She remembered one of their "girl talk" sessions where the redhead described some of the things she'd do were she to get a paramour of her own. The blonde learned a lot that night, like how she felt whoever Pyrrha ended up with would definitely need to get some kissing related injury insurance. Naturally, they all knew who she was talking about, but it was a moment in which she was still in denial.

"I just don't understand. They've never been close, Jaune's never confided in me that he likes her that way, and I've never seen them even so much as have a longing look at one another. They don't even train together! Ruby looks at her weapon with more affection that Yang looks at Jaune." The blonde found it hard to argue with that but in all fairness, nobody looked at anything with as much affection as Ruby did with Crescent Rose… Maybe Zwei, but it was a toss up to say the least. She heard a thud as, presumably, someone flopped down on the wooden bench.

"Let you Ol' Auntie Nora tell you something about dating." There was a lighthearted scoff.

"Nora, I'm older than yo-"

"Shh shh shhhhhhhh… Listen to your Ol' Auntie." Yang was sure she could hear the redhead's eye roll but she said nothing. "Just because two people start dating, doesn't mean it's going to last." Silence set in.

"Is that all?"

"Yep." A sigh.

"Nora, I know that. I just…."

"Wish they'd get it over with?" There was a grunt of affirmation. "I did tell you that needed to make a move or someone else would." There was a tap, what sounded like someone gently patting a shoulder. "Come on. Let's shower and we can drown your sorrows in ice cream." Not wanting to stick around, Yang finished dressing as quickly as she could and slid out the door, doing her best Blake impression.

As she headed back to her dorm, she thought about what she heard. Pyrrha was right about their relationship coming out of nowhere. They needed to fix that if they wanted to sell it, plus, she was having fun spending time with him. He wasn't bad company by any means. She pulled out her Scroll, thumbing through contacts until she found **Vomit Boy.**

**Yang - **You wanna train sometime this week?

It didn't take long for her to get a response, something she appreciated. Nobody liked to be kept waiting, especially when it was for making plans.

**VB - **Sure. What time?

From there, they hammered out a few more details and Yang reserved a room for them to work out in. If Pyrrha wanted them to look like a couple, she was going to give her exactly what she was looking for.

-/-

The days past with no real incidents to speak of. Pyrrha continued to be cold, but civil with her and Yang did the same. During classes her and her beau had together, Jaune took Yang's books and walked her around campus, keeping up his end of the bargain once again. During study sessions, they'd sit next to each other on the floor, her legs draped over his. It was a surprisingly comfortable position. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be getting used to their little arrangement, Pyrrha excluded. They were meeting up more after classes, playing games on their Scrolls and watching movies, usually in Team RWBY's dorm.

Then it came time for them to train together. Not everyone was cut out to train with one another. Different levels of fitness, skill, strength, endurance and several other qualities could make working with someone a nightmare, even if they were a friend. For instance, Yang didn't train with Weiss outside of Team exercises, not because they didn't like one another, far from it as she viewed the Heiress as a second sister, but because they were so different. Yang's workout routine, training style, and endurance levels were completely different than her teammate, leading to them getting more snippy than usual. Thankfully, her and Jaune didn't seem to have that problem.

They'd opted to do some light sparring, Jaune still needed to get his combat skills up and it was always valuable to fight people with differing styles as to not be caught off guard in the field. Plus it was nice for Yang to fight someone that would hold still for once.

Jaune swung his blade down at her chest, a textbook strike with plenty of power behind it. Yang threw up her gauntlets and caught the blow. She surged forth, pushing back and opening up his right side for a brutal left hook to the ribs that nearly lifted him off the ground. Not easily deterred, Jaune brought his left hand around, swinging his shield at her skull.

Slipping under it, she continued to assault his ribs, letting a few shotgun blasts rain down on his chest plate. Technically speaking, she shouldn't have been aiming there because of the armor, but it all did Aura damage, which is all she was going for. She kept up the pressure, stomping out with her foot right into his knee and dropping him to the other.

Like a blonde hammer from the sky, she let loose an onslaught of fists aimed at his head. Thankfully for him, he managed to get his shield up in time. Yang shifted tactics and threw out a feint, mimicking the motion for another shield hit, and then shifting the jab into a right hook that crash landed into the boy's jaw and sent him sprawling to the ground. Yang was nothing if not persistent, following her target and straddling his stomach. More blows came down, a hailstorm of lefts and rights, striking everywhere from his forehead to his chest cavity. Amazingly, he didn't quit or pass out, instead he managed to reverse his sword grip and strike out with the pommel, connecting directly with Yang's temple. In her haze, she hadn't taken into account his other arm, assuming he'd use it to bolster his defense. Her dad's words echoed in her head. _Never assume anything about your opponent. _

For a moment, the world spun, but it quickly righted itself as Jaune jammed the shield up into her chest, getting her off of him. He rolled back and resumed his defensive position, sword pointed to the skies. Yang smirked and used her shotguns to propel herself back into his personal space faster than he could react. Her right fist met his nose so many times, they became old friends in less than a second. Her left became nearly as well acquainted with his eye socket. Jaune managed to land a few strikes with his sword, but few, if any, were clean and even less hurt.

When it looked like he was about to pass out, she hopped back and dropped her hands.

"You quit yet?" She placed her hands on her hips as the boy shook his head.

"Nope. You?" She scoffed. Her stomach began to rumble and she sighed. Seemed that her body decided the fight needed to end soon and she needed to refuel. Ah well, there was always next time. Dropping her head low, she rushed forward. Jaune seemed to anticipate it and readied himself, his shield raided just under his eyeballs. Just before she reached him, she slid, jamming a fist into the same knee she'd abused earlier. It dropped him to his other knee again and she used a shot to propel herself back, mailing a devastating blast to his lower back that sent him careening forward and his sword to the other side of the room. She was on him in an instant, kicking his shield away and lowering the gauntlet into his face.

"How about now?" His options limited, he stared at her in silence, his face set in a hard mask. With his mouth set in a thin line, sweat dripped down his face, plastering his hair to his forehead. His eyes were wild, frantically moving around, as if a new opening would present itself if he simply looked hard enough. If Yang was honest, it was kind of hot, that near feral look. The thought entered her mind and she felt herself become stunned. Did she just think Mr. Tall, Blonde, and Scraggly himself was hot? No way.

Apparently, Jaune noticed her stunned state, kicking out with a foot and dropping her to a knee. He rushed forward, tackling her to the ground and using his shield like a steel boxing glove. Yang threw her hands up, blocking as many strikes as she could. On the last blow, she managed to catch it and the two began to wrestle for control. She turned her hips and bucked him off of her, placing him back onto his back with her in full mount over his stomach. Her grip tightened on the shield and she managed to rip it from his fingers, tossing it behind her. She cocked her shotguns again, aiming them at his face.

"Let's try this one more time. You give up?" Seeing no way out with time without his weapons, he nodded, holding up his hands in surrender.

"I give." She nodded, hopped up, and offered him a hand. He took it and she pulled him to his feet. When their fingers touched, she could've sworn she felt electricity crackle.

"Nice move there at the end, tackling me to the ground like that. Bet that fulfilled a fantasy of two." She winked and he turned a bright scarlet. He collected his weapons while she found a spot to sit in against the wall. She motioned to go into her pocket only to stop when she realized that she _didn't _have food in there, a tactical decision and by that she meant that it wasn't worth getting a protein bar crushed in the fighting. Before she could pop up and head to a vending machine to get one, Jaune joined her with a basket in hand.

"Ren packed us a lunch." She righted herself against the wall and stole the basket from his grasp. Peeking inside, she spied two sandwiches, little baggies with orange slices, and two thermoses. Moving with speed that would make Ruby jealous, she passed Jaune his portions and tore into her sandwich, a simple ham and cheese affair. While not her favorite, she made a note to thank Ren next time she saw him.

Jaune nibbled on his and then opened his thermos. Immediately, he groaned and threw it back in the basket.

"What, Ren not pack the juice you like?" She snickered. He scoffed and shook his head.

"No, but he did pack some of the 'health juice' he's been trying to get us to drink." She shot him a quizzical look. What the heck was health juice? Based on his reaction, it couldn't have been good but it was probably necessary. There were few people on Remnant who needed nutrients more than a prospective Huntsman.

"What's wrong with it?" He shook his head and gestured to her own thermos.

"Try it, you'll understand." She eyed the container wearily. It couldn't be that bad, right? It was just a drink. Less than a week ago, she'd willing drunk something called 'liquid cocaine', there was no way this would be worse than that. So, she unscrewed the top and peered inside. She was met with darkness with a green tinge to it. Immediately, she could feel her stomach protesting her decision. It wasn't helped along by the positively atrocious smell. Like someone threw grass clippings and lemon juice in a tire fire. Still, she knew Ren was a heck of a cook and gave him the benefit of the doubt.

She tipped the container back and felt chunky paste slide down her throat. As it passed her tongue, she threw the thermos clear across the room and spit like she'd swallowed fire ants. She spit and spit until her mouth was a desert and scarfed down the rest of her sandwich, all of her orange slices and half of Jaune's, anything to get rid of the taste. Sadly, all of the flavors coalesced into a true nightmare. Choking and gagging ensued while Jaune patted her back, gently murmuring "there, there." After nearly two minutes of trying to will herself to not vomit all over the practice arena and sprinting to vending machine to get some water and drown the vile beverage, she relented, sitting against the wall again.

"That was the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth. And I used to eat bugs as a kid." Jaune giggled, trying to cover it with a gloved hand.

"You ate bugs? That's so gross!" She nodded, pounding back the last of her water. When she was finished, she slugged him in the arm.

"Hey, I was young." He rubbed the afflicted area and rolled his eyes.

"So was I, but you didn't see me eating bugs." She threw her water bottle at him, striking him in the chest.

"Yeah, you just braided hair and got your makeup done." He turned bright red again, quickly saying.

"Who told you that?" She let out a full belly laugh, complete with feet kicking. When she finally stopped, she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Oh my gods, I was just fishing. Didn't think you really did that." He shrugged, his face still a vibrant crimson.

"Sometimes the girls wanted to practice." Now it was her turn to comfort him.

"If it makes you feel better, I used to practice on Ruby all the time." He chuckled. After Jaune finished his sandwich, they dug into his half-eaten pack of orange slices. "Dug into" meaning they tossed them into each other's mouths in increasingly difficult ways until someone reigned supreme. That person ended up being Jaune, but only because Yang refused to eat the one he bounced off the floor in an inane attempt at a trick shot. Her days of eating dirt covered morsels were long behind her. After beating his chest and striking a post (that Yang got a picture of, something to use as a new contact photo), they rested against the wall, arm to arm.

"So, what was up with that pause at the end? You had me dead to rights and then you just…" His hand spun, as if trying to conjure the words out of thin air. "Froze." She should've known he'd ask; it was a fair question after all. However, she wasn't about to tell him the truth, she was still grappling with the concept herself and was nowhere near ready to speak it into existence. So, she made something up.

"I blanked for a second. Happens from time to time in those easy fights." She smirked and nudged his arm. He chuckled and bumped her back.

"I see how it is. I'm such easy pickings for you that you can afford to lose focus and still win." She nodded, snapping her hand into finger guns.

"Exactly. Glad to see we understand each other." They shared a laugh that ended in soft smiles for both of them.

"I'll beat you one day." There it was again, that look in his eyes. Her cheeks flushed a bit but, thankfully, she could blame that on the training. She nodded.

"Looking forward to it VB." Their eyes met and she found herself captivated. Had they always been that blue? Did they always shine under fluorescent lighting? She felt herself leaning in and she could see him doing the same. Was this really happening? No way, this had to be a dream. If it was though, what did that mean? Should she say something? Should she ask before doing anything? His lips opened a tad, but, before he could say anything, his Scroll buzzed. The fake couple jolted away from one another, cheeks blushing a deep red. He fished the offending device out of his pocket and Yang peered over, seeing a little red "eighteen" over his message icon. Someone _really_ wanted to get a hold of him. His face paled and he hopped to his feet.

"Oh crap!" Yang cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know what time it is?" She pulled out her own Scroll.

"Uh, seven forty-five?" He nodded.

"I was supposed to train with Pyrrha at seven." Oops. Were his session with anyone else, she'd have shrugged and told him to apologize, no big deal. However, they both knew of Pyrrha's alternative intentions with the training as well as how serious she took commitments of that kind. "Oh man, she'd going to be so mad." As if on cue, the redhead walked in the door, her face completely devoid of emotion. In Yang's opinion, that was worse than if she'd come in screaming fire and brimstone.

"There you are." Her voice was hard and Yang almost found herself wincing. She did _not_ want to be Jaune tonight.

"Pyrrha! There you are! I was just uh…" He looked to Yang, who shook her head and held up her hands.

"You were training with Yang." He paled again, his mouth opening and closing like a washed-up fish. After a bit, he nodded. She was silent, passing a look between the two of them, then to the basket that housed their food. A smile more fake than Port's collection of Grimm trophies spawned on her face.

"It's fine Jaune. We'll take a rain check." She looked to Yang. "I appreciate you helping keep my partner in shape. I can see I'm interrupting something." Her gaze shifted back to Jaune. "I'll see you back in the room." With that, she turned on a heel and walked out. Yang felt a chill run down her spine as she and her Jaune shared a look that said it all. "Oh shit."

**PSA – First things first, by popular demand this will continue after the allotted seven chapters. However, I will be making it a separate story as to not make this bloated and to let me call it complete so be on the lookout for that in the coming months. I'll be sure to let you all know when it's coming, probably in the last chapter of this thing. I've already got an idea or two but if anyone has a request, I'll at least consider them. **

**Also, as a general aside, I do take commissions for fics. PM me if you're interested.**

**Now, some people are a bit worried about what I'm doing with Pyrrha in this story and let me be clear, I love Pyrrha. She's wonderful and sweet and so much fun to have in a story. That all being said, she's the main antagonist in this one, no bones about it. I'm trying to keep it all in character but we don't get to see if she's the jealous type or her ever be consistently mad at anyone so I'm kinda winging it with head canons I have. If that's a deal breaker for some of you, I get it. There's plenty of stuff with Pyrrha in a more positive light (some even on my page). She isn't going to go full super villain in this though, or do anything super extreme that I promise. Leave all your thoughts and feelings in a review. Until next time, may Fortune favor you all. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Took a bit longer than usual cuz of writer's block and my beta is moving so this is only edited by me. Leave a review and let me know how I did. Enjoy. **

For two weeks, everything was going according to plan. For two weeks, Jaune and Yang played the part of the ideal couple masterfully, in public and in private. They justified it by saying that with friends like Nora and Ruby, two people very prone to barging into spaces unannounced, there wasn't really such a thing as privacy. The reasoning acted as a cover for the fact that they actually enjoyed spending time together and those icky feelings things that nobody liked to talk about were rearing their ugly heads.

Sure, they were nearly constantly on top of one another when they hung out but hey, Jaune was an excellent pillow. Why wouldn't Yang lay on him, even when nobody was around. It was entirely platonic.

Of course, they sparred together frequently and Jaune brought lunch/dinner for them to eat together afterwards. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. Maybe, on occasion, they fed each other or tossed food into one another's mouths. And sure, sometimes they'd lie against one another just talking about their dreams and aspirations long into the night but friends did that all the time!

So, what if, sometimes, when it was late at night and she was restless, Yang could think back to one of their "dates" and be instantly calmed. It didn't matter that she couldn't get that look in his eyes during their spars out of her head. And who cares that when they sat cuddled up next to one another, Yang felt a sense of peace and joy that she hadn't felt since before Summer died. IT. WAS. PLATONIC.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Two weeks after their first training session, everything changed. In retrospect, she should've seen that things would be different as that day had gone like none other had in all her time at Beacon. First of all, the cafeteria had a guest chef in the building. Some famous guy from Vale who wanted to repay the student body that had saved him on some mission or another. She didn't pay it much mind because, for one, she wasn't on the mission, it was probably some of the older students, and two, waffles were a secret vice she had. Comparable to Nora's love of pancakes was Yang's love of the checkered treat. What wasn't to like? So fluffy and soft and buttery, with little pockets for syrup and toppings. It was heaven on a plate. So, when Yang heard from someone that there were going to be waffles prepared by one of the top chefs on the continent, she may have gone a bit overboard.

She made a mental note to apologize to the students she'd run over and cut in front of on her way to the breakfast rapture but in reality, she'd probably forget. Not that it mattered as the waffles were everything she could've ever dreamed about. After devouring them in record time, savoring food was for the weak in her opinion, she looked up to see the rest of her team and Team JNPR. As everyone took their places at the table, plates stacked high with food (some of which wasn't waffles), Yang set her head down and began the blissful process of slipping into a food coma. Jaune idly ran his fingers through her hair, something she trusted him enough to do without pulling any out or adding any extra knots.

After breakfast, it was time for classes and, wouldn't you know it, Professor Port had the flu and being that he'd gotten it on such short notice, class was cancelled instead of filled in by a sub. No skin off of Yang's nose. She decided to fill the void with well-deserved nap with the promise that she'd join the rest of her friends after their next class, being Goodwitch's, for some group studying.

As she slept, Yang was whisked away to a new world, a completely new reality. Gone was her dorm room, gone were her teammates and her sister, gone even was the bed she was sleeping in. Instead, they were replaced by a house. No, not just a house, a home. There was a certain feeling when you were at home and not just in a house, she felt when she went back to Patch. This place however, was definitely not her house back on Patch though it did share similarities. Around her were high wooden ceilings and barren walls, all colored the same as an old Oak tree. To her left, she spied an old flower-patterned couch, one that looked like it had seen better days if the butt indentations was any indication. Next to it was a pair of plush leather chairs, both a truly hideous shade of red that Yang found… almost charming. The phrase "so ugly it's beautiful" came to mind. In front of her lay a roaring stone fireplace that wafted out the scent of cherries.

What struck her most about the dream was that she wasn't alone. Wrapped around her in a tight embrace, were two arms. It was then that she was enveloped in a feeling of complete safety. Her fingers traced over the arms, moving down to interlock with the owner's fingers. She craned her neck back and was made privy to the walls of boxes that lined the room. Her and whoever she was with must've just moved in. Before she could see who's arms she was wrapped in, the soft pitter-patter of feet echoed from upstairs. They were far too light to be an adult and she could discern that the being only had two feet so it definitely wasn't a dog.

The identity of the feet was given as a little boy sprinted down the stairs.

"Mommy! Daddy!" And suddenly, there was a child, no older than six, in her arms. He smiled and snuggled up against her cheek. "This new house is so big!" From behind her, someone spoke.

"Ezra, I told you it was time for bed." The boy pouted.

"But Daddy! I can't sleep!" There was a sigh and she felt lips touch the back of her head.

"I'll make you a deal, I'll tell you one more bedtime story but then _you _need to get to bed little man." The boy, Ezra, seemed to consider this before nodded.

"OK Daddy." The arms left her as did the boy. Yang turned around and was greeted by the sight of a man with shaggy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He smiled, one so full of life and love that she felt compelled to return.

"I'll be right back Sunshine." She nodded as the man scooped the boy up into his arms and headed upstairs. It wasn't until he was around the corner that Yang felt a name ring out in her mind.

_Jaune_

Then, she shot up, only to be greeted by the sight of stark white walls and a shoddily created bunk bed to her right. She sat under the covers for a minute, trying to process what she'd just seen. She had cuddled… with Jaune. She had a house… with Jaune. She had a _kid_… with Jaune. With a shake of her head, she sighed. No more mid-day food coma naps. She tried to brush off the dream as she stretched. They were just friends. Surely you could platonically start a family with someone, right?

With Professor Goodwitch's class came the clash of steel against steel followed by labored breathing and harsh words. She looked around the room and selected her next victi- er, participants. Yang watched as the blonde teacher's eyes locked onto Jaune and then to Cardin. Never let it be said that Glynda Goodwitch wasn't a creature of habit. Yang peered to her left and felt her fake boyfriend rise from his chair, the arm of his coat brushing against hers. Despite the sameness of the situation, there was something different about him. His back was straighter and the tremble that had been gradually melting away in his hands over the last few weeks had finally left for good. That determination that made Yang clench her thighs and her breath catch was back again as he walked into the locker room. A minute later, he came out in full regalia. From her seat, she spotted a few of the dents she'd added to his armor and felt a small smile of pride find her lips.

The two boys stood apart from one another, weapons raised. Gone was the arrogant smirk on Cardin's face, replaced with a thin line. He was taking this seriously. That was new. He must've seen the same thing Yang did. With Professor Goodwitch's nod, Cardin charged in, bringing down his mace in a powerful overhead strike. Jaune slipped the blow but not the shoulder check that came after, driving the blonde back. Cardin rushed in again, swinging from below this time. In a display that surprised everybody, maybe even Jaune, if Yang was reading his face right, he managed to use the mace as a sort of springboard.

Before Cardin could get into the apex of his swing, Jaune planted his foot on the heft and pushed himself up, allowing the top ridge of his shield to collide with his opponent's jaw. Because Cardin was still in motion, the blonde was sent hurtling much higher into the air than he was probably comfortable and flailed his arms ineffectually before dropping back to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Thankfully for him, he was able to get to his feet quickly, not fast enough to push the advantage though as Cardin stared at him, rubbing his jaw while fury teased at his eyes.

Blitzing forward, Jaune brought his blade up, slashing diagonally at his opponent's chest. Cardin managed to slip the first before meeting the second head on with his mace. The blow sent Jaune's sword flying behind him and, being the savvy fighter Cardin was, he pressed the advantage. Jaune did the only things he could do; Dodge and block.

Yang shifted her focus from the fight to the Aura reader on the wall. Each slam of Cardin's mace into Jaune's shield caused the green bar to drip down until it eventually slid into yellow. The larger boy wasn't looking much better, the shield to the chin seemed to do a real number on him. For a moment, she thought about how strange it was for someone as big as Cardin to have such a comparatively small Aura. Oh well, size wasn't everything.

The fight raged on with Jaune still blocking and dodging where he could. This seemed to enrage his opponent, evident by his bestial roar and subsequent shout of "hold still!", followed by a mighty two-handed swing. Fortunately, it missed and the blonde took the opportunity given, charging forward and tackling Cardin to the ground. He set up in a perfect mount, essentially neutralizing the massive mace and allowing Jaune to use some of the things Yang had been using on him.

A good ground and pound game wasn't pretty, at least not conventionally so. Huntsmen were typically flashy fighters, there was a lot of movement and a focus on fluidity. All of that made sense when one considered that they're official job was to fight the creatures of Grimm. It was suicide to grapple with them. That all being said, there were times when you were fighting a human opponent, Huntsmen were people too and sometimes they went rogue. You couldn't just send the police to deal with them either so, it paid to know how to fight a human opponent.

Yang hadn't taught Jaune everything she knew, mostly because she had years of practice and they'd only been training together for a few weeks. She did, however, teach him some of the basics. Proper mount form, how to escape, what openings to look for, things of that nature. She wasn't sure how he felt about it because, on the one hand, she was wailing on him for several hours on end. On the other, she was essentially grinding on his lap and, because she tended for tank tops and low-cut shirts, he got a decent view. So, she figured he'd accept that trade off.

As a teacher of sorts, she was proud to see her star pupil succeeding. A series of overhead strikes and savage hooks kept Cardin on the defensive. He was even using his shield to really do some damage and, after a minute or two of haymakers, Professor Goodwitch sounded the bell and the class was stunned silent. Jaune Arc, proverbial punching bag for the entire class, had won his first match.

"Jaune Arc wins." Yang thought it almost felt like a movie moment. One person would start clapping, then another, and another, until the whole room erupted. Then some cheesy ballad about never giving up would play and everyone would be smiling and crying. Yang would run up and jump into his arms and kiss him and th-. She shook herself out of the daydream and tried to bury it down by clapping and cheering. Teams JNPR and RWBY joined her a moment later.

Goodwitch was still critical, she wanted perfection from her students so she always found flaws but she did congratulate the boy. If Yang didn't know any better, she might've said that the hard-nosed professor even smiled. The rest of the class was uneventful with Pyrrha absolutely destroying her opponent and Blake and Ren going head to head with her partner coming out on top, but only just. From there, the two sister teams met up to head to their study sessions, Yang giving Jaune a kiss on the cheek in congratulation, something that had him turning a deep scarlet.

Ruby got to their spot first, claiming the beanbag chair adjacent to the one Nora had been ruling over all year. Yang, really not feeling up to sitting on the hardwood, unceremoniously dumped her little sister from the spot, calling out "Older Sibling Privilege" and motioning to Jaune to join her. Ruby tried to protest, but with the two blonde's combined weight and Ruby's general lack of muscle, they remained unmoved while she pouted and was forced into studying by Weiss.

Yang had draped her legs over her fake boyfriend, essentially laying in his lap. He shifted his hips a bit, something that made her smirk and him blush and turn away. Probably hoping to distract her, he plopped down a Dust Chemistry book in their collective laps, earning a groan from Yang and a shush from a passing librarian.

Dust Chemistry was easily her worst class. There was so many measurements that had to be near perfect lest they end in disaster and so much math involved that it made her head spin. "You must use twice as much Ice Dust as Fire Dust, lest the ice melt immediately unless you also added in two thirds as much Gravity Dust as Ice and blah blah blah." She hated something fierce. It was never in plain English and to make matters worse, when Yang would ask for help from her team, Weiss would just keep saying how easy it all was and repeat exactly what the book said. Yang would call her out and they'd go back and forth for a while before the blonde's anger would get the better of her and she'd leave to go hit the heavy bag. Because of these factors, she was failing and with finals always closer than she liked, she really needed to buckle down.

Thankfully, she wasn't alone. Jaune was somehow worse than she was at the class, probably because he slept while Professor Greydon lectured. She couldn't really blame him though. She'd probably would've been asleep too if she didn't spend the whole class complaining in her head, asking when she was ever going to need any of it. She didn't use Dust outside of her shotgun shells, which she bought, so she never _had_ to take measurements. A frustrated grunt from Jaune dragged her from her thoughts. He'd opened to the chapter on Lightning Dust, apparently the most dangerous of the known types. She peered down at the page and understood his feelings.

It was a section entitled "Dust and You", three words so boring and sleep inducing that she was convinced she'd just experienced the literary version of chloroform. With most types of Dust, the effect just got bigger the more you used. More First Dust meant more fire, more Ice Dust meant more ice, so on and so forth. But too much Lightning meant that you could actually bypass someone's Aura and stop their heart, maybe even fry their nervous system entirely. Jaune began to grumble, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"I hate this so much." He said, just loud enough for her to hear. She nodded and tensed when she felt Jaune's fingers twirling around the ends of her hair. Taking a deep breath, he dove back in and she with him.

"**The electricity secreted by Lightning Dust can be just as deadly for the wielder as the target, proper safety equipment must be us-" **She began to space out again. Instead of drawing attention to herself and earning the ire of Weiss, she silently peered around the group. The aforementioned Heiress was nose deep in a Grimm Biology book, Blake was going over the same but, if Yang's eyes weren't deceiving her, she could just make out the top of another book sitting on the school sanctioned reading material. She chuckled silently to herself, her partner was probably still reading _Ninjas of Love: Bound Passions_, the third book in the series. Yang liked to keep tabs on what smut her partner was enjoying, made it easier to tease her and hey, good smut was something she liked to know about.

Ruby had all but fallen asleep into a book on wilderness survival, Nora wasn't even putting up a front, curling up into a ball in the beanbag chair to their right. Ren and Pyrrha sat at the table, the black-haired boy scanning his notebook and the redhead making a point of looking at anyone and anything but her and Jaune. Yang rolled her eyes and tried to go back to the textbook.

"**The-**" Nope, not happening. She began to stare at Jaune then. He was focusing so hard it was adorable. She fought the urge to snuggle up into the crook of his neck and paused. Snuggle? With Jaune? That was weird. She usually didn't want to do that with someone unless she like-. Realization hit her like a falling star; She liked Jaune Arc. Her breathing began to speed up. That couldn't be the case, they were friends! Their relationship was fake… Right? Shaking her head, she pushed herself off of her blonde compatriot and quickly began to walk out of the room. She needed time to think. As she stood, she heard Ruby call out.

"Where are you going Yang?" She shook her head.

"I need to go."

"Are you OK?" Not him, she didn't hear his voice. She _did not_ like that he was worried about her. It did _not_ make her stomach flutter whenever he smiled at her. She did _not _get turned on when he was dialed into a task. No no no no no no no! She reached the door and made her way down the hall. Halfway through, she heard someone call out.

"What's going on Yang? Are you sick?" Blake. She could talk to her, but not near the Library. She shook her head.

"Just… come with me." Blake followed without a word.

-/-

Jaune Arc was many things up to and including, a Team Leader, hair braider extraordinaire, and a pretty snappy dancer if he did say so himself. He was also pretty good at understanding his own emotions, if not necessarily acting on them. Take the situation he was in for example. Just a few days ago, when he and Yang were just hanging out, playing video games and relaxing, he came to a conclusion; He wasn't faking it anymore.

He really liked Yang, and for the umpteenth time wished their relationship was real. She was funny, sweet, fun to be around, affectionate, and it nearly went without saying that she was one of the most attractive girls at Beacon Academy.

The problem Jaune had was that he wasn't sure what to do about his feelings. He was unsure about what Yang felt and was far too nervous to just come out and ask her. He thought about just showing her with some big elaborate get up like he'd done with Weiss but thought that would come across as disingenuous. His mind kept telling him to just kiss her, it would answer pretty much all of his questions. Sure, it might get him aired out if she didn't like him but then at least he'd know for certain. There again rose the problem of his nerves.

All of these thoughts were swirling around his head again as he walked out of the Library. Yang had run off, only saying that she "needed to go," whatever that meant. He thought about going after her and, if the look on her face was any indication, so did Ruby. But Weiss shook her head, saying that she was probably fine and maybe her period struck at an inopportune time. Granted she didn't say it that bluntly but Jaune had been around enough women in his life to know what the innuendo meant.

So, he buckled down and tried to keep studying. It was fruitless however as he just kept thinking about her. He closed the book with a sigh, claiming that his head was hurting and he wanted to go lay down. Ren shot him a curious look but then nodded and went back to his notes. Pyrrha looked a bit concerned, like she wanted to escort him to their room or something. He brushed her off, saying he'd be fine. Nora was still asleep to his side. He waved to Weiss and Ruby and was out the door a second later.

He didn't like lying to his friends and, if he was honest, he probably didn't even need to. Still, he did want to be alone for a bit and process his feelings again. So, he stepped out into the warm late afternoon air and made his way to one of his favorite spots in Beacon; under the old redwoods that surrounded the fountain area. He remembered during a tour of the campus back in the early weeks of the semester, Professor Goodwitch tried to impart some symbolism for the man-made forest. She said that they represented each and every Huntsmen as they stood tall against the near unending tides of Grimm.

There was probably more to it but Jaune was still too in awe of actually being at the school and surviving Initiation to pay attention to her talking about trees. In retrospect, he did wish he'd paid at least a little bit of attention. Probably would've saved him from getting lost in those days that followed.

Under the redwoods, Jaune began to relax a bit. It might've had more to do with that fact that he wasn't staring at a mind-numbing textbook anymore but still, the trees helped. This wasn't the first time he wished he had someone to talk to about the whole affair he created. Just getting someone else's perspective would be invaluable. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. Maybe a small nap would help…

Less than a minute after he closed his eyes, just before Dreamland could drag him away from his troubles for a while, there was a rustling in the trees above him. A second later, a person popped out, screaming as he plummeted to the ground. Jaune screamed and reached for a sword that wasn't on his hip. He cursed himself for not bringing it with him and rolled into what he felt, was a decent fighting pose. He'd tried to mirror Yang's stance with varying degrees of success.

However, he wasn't met with a Grimm or even a wild animal. He was greeted to the sight of a boy about his age with curly blonde hair sitting on the ground and holding his head. He looked up at Jaune and he saw that the stranger's eyes were a deep shade of blue. For a moment, he wondered if it was a long lost family member of his. Seeing that he wasn't in danger, at least not immediately, he dropped his hands.

"Are you OK?" The boy hopped to his feet, brushing dirt off of his crisp white shirt.

"Yeah, I'm good." He looked back to the tree he had fallen out of. "Was taking a nap up there and I guess I fell out." He laughed with a shake of his head. "Ahh well, guess I should go anyway. Sorry for almost falling on you." It was Jaune's turn to shake his head.

"Don't worry about it." Before anything else could be said, the other boy leaned close to Jaune, right into his personal space. He looked him over, fingers rubbing his chin and his foot tapping on the ground. "Uh, can I help you?" He said slowly. The boy continued to stare, Jaune slowly beginning to back away. The boy snapped his fingers.

"You're John, right?" He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's Jaune, actually." The other boy waved his hand.

"That's what I said." He opened his mouth to correct him but was cut off. "Anyway, you're the same Jaune that's doing that fake dating thing with that Yang chick, right?" Now he was confused. How did this stranger know that? It was supposed to be a secret! He knew he didn't tell anyone; he hadn't even written it down anywhere. Jaune didn't recognize him but that didn't mean he wasn't a friend of Yang's…

"Who wants to know?" The boy pointed a thumb at his own chest.

"Name's Sun. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out and Jaune took it cautiously. The name didn't ring any bells.

"How do you know about my… arrangement?"

"Oh, Blake told me." Jaune let out a dejected sigh. He wondered if Yang broke down and told her partner or if she figured it out on her own. Didn't really matter but if the latter were true, he was about to get a whole lot more paranoid. "Yeah, she told me you guys are trying to help some girl get over you which is wild to me. I'd just say go after the girl that likes you, but you've got your reasons. Either way, I respect that you're trying to let the other girl down gently like that. Good stuff."

"You're… well informed." He nodded.

"Thanks." He chest seemed to swell with pride. "I kind of act like Blake's confidant. You know, us Faunus gotta stick together." Jaune was learning so many things today.

"Wait, Blake's a Faunus?" Sun's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he began to ramble out a response.

"Did I say that? I meant… uh that she might be ON US later. Ha ha. Yeah, that's it." Jaune shook his head.

"Look, I don't care if she's a Faunus Sun, it does explain that bow though." The boy got really close to Jaune's face again.

"Don't tell her I told you and I won't tell anyone about your little arrangement, deal?" Jaune nodded and mimed a zipper across his lips.

"I can keep a secret." Sun exhaled and nodded.

"Thanks Buddy." With that, he turned on a heel and began to walk away. "I'm gonna go find her now. See you around." A thought popped into his head and he called out.

"Wait a second Sun!" He turned and looked back with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah?" Jaune sighed.

"Since you're so… well informed, let's say, about my situation and you seem like you'd know your way around talking to girls. Can I get some advice?" He shrugged and walked back over, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah sure. Tell Uncle Sun everything." Jaune rolled his eyes but started in on the tale of the last few weeks. It took him nearly an hour as went into near exhausting details. So much so that Sun began to start guessing where things were going in an effort to expedite the process. He was… moderately successful. As he finished, he looked over to see Sun hanging upside down from a tree by his tail, arms crossed.

"So, let me get this straight. You and Yang started fake dating to make this Pyrrha girl stop liking you. Then you found out you _actually _like dating Yang and now you don't know what to do because you're not sure how she feels about you. Sound about right?" Jaune was a bit stunned to be honest. He condensed everything so easily that he felt a bit bad for wasting his new friend's time.

"Well, yeah." Jaune sighed, plopping down at the base of the tree. Sun let out a thoughtful hum, hand cupping his chin again. After a moment, he nodded and flipped back down to solid ground.

"Alright, I know exactly what you need to do." Jaune perked up. That was great news! He felt so much better getting everything out in the open. He recalled something his older sister Sapphire said to him when he'd gotten in trouble years ago. "The truth will set you free." At the time, he thought she was crazy. The truth got you in trouble and that was always bad. Looking back, maybe she had a point though.

"You just need to kiss her." Nope, Saph was wrong and going to Sun was a bad idea. He made a mental note to never do it again.

"What?" Sun nodded.

"You need to kiss her man! It's easy! I'd help you practice but I'm going after Blake now so you're gonna have to rely on raw talent for that."

"I know how to kiss!" He said, a bit too loud. "I just… what would kissing her solve? Shouldn't I find out if she likes me first?" A hand clapped down on his shoulder.

"If she likes you, she'll kiss you back. If she doesn't then you know she doesn't like you like that and you can play it off like you were practicing for the public. Easy stuff man." He tapped his finger to his temple. Jaune held his head in his hands and sighed. It wasn't like he _didn't _want to kiss Yang; in fact, it was one of the things he wanted to do the most right now. But still, he thought about how weird it would be to just… do it like that.

He pondered for a bit longer. Well, if she did it to him, he certainly wouldn't stop her. Even if had been in the beginning, he wouldn't have minded. Would he like his first kiss to be special? Sure, but to keep up the ruse, he was willing to trade it away. Kissing her definitely couldn't make anything worse. So, with a resolute nod, he pushed himself to his feet.

"Maybe you're right." The other boy nodded.

"No problem buddy." With that, Jaune was off. He had a blonde to find.

-/-

Yang left the closet she and Blake had been hiding in more flustered than before she stepped in. The two girls had been looking for a private place to talk and found it in a janitor's space. They fought through the acrid smell of chemicals and cleaning supplies while Yang spilled her guts. Naturally, Blake gave her an "I told you so" which was probably earned but it was still annoying.

Afterwards though, she proceeded to try and help. She explained, very calmly and eloquently that Yang "had it bad" when it came to Jaune. The blonde couldn't think of a refusal. When she asked what she should do, Blake shrugged and said she didn't know. It wasn't any of her business. Yang pressed, naturally, and Blake relented, saying that she should just kiss him or something. Then she said something about going out and getting what you want, that she was Yang Xiao-Long and she shouldn't be afraid of something as silly as confirming her feelings for a boy.

The whole thing got Yang to chuckle that Blake joined in on. While cheesy, the speech did have a point. She faced down creature of pure hatred and darkness on a regular basis and smiled. She could kiss a dumb boy that she'd been fake dating. With her back straight and a fire burning inside her, she strutted around campus, hunting for her man. Then, in the main square, she found him. It looked to her like he'd been looking for someone as well as, when they locked eyes, they moved towards one another with intent in their eyes. Yang opened her mouth to speak, only for his lips to crash into hers, silencing her voice.

It was… awkward. She'd kissed a few people over the years and liked to think she was pretty decent at it. Jaune was… inexperienced. However, what he lacked in technique he made up for with enthusiasm and breath that smelled like mint and cinnamon. His hands found her hips and he was holding on tight, like she'd try and escape.

Of all of the kisses she'd shared with people over the years, she thought that this one was her favorite. Her partner was so eager. The word that kept coming to her mind, after _holy shit_, was endearing. It was exactly what she wanted and, in that moment, she was sure that he liked her just as much as she did him.

Never having been one to sit idly by, she knotted her fingers in his hair and began to direct traffic, as it were. She'd turn him into a good kisser, or die trying. It would be a good death, she decided. He seemed to like being controlled a little, if the moan that came out of his throat as any clue. It also seemed that she liked doing the controlling if that goosebumps that ran up her spine were any indication. She smiled and let her other hand rest on one of his.

Sadly though, all things must come to an end and he pulled away, albeit very slowly. His cheeks were red and he was breathing heavily. She imagined that she looked very much the same. The setting sunlight cast him in an orange glow that did amazing things to the blue in his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it, stomping on her dreams.

"I'm sorry." And he ran, faster than she'd ever see him go, leaving her confused. An apology? What? Did she do something wrong? What? Did she misread that kiss? What?

-/-

Pyrrha Nikos had been having a good day. Breakfast had been heavenly, her partner had won his first match, she dominated in her own, and the studying had gone… well enough. She sat down at her desk and smiled. The sunset was beautiful from her room and she began to work on her new hobby; drawing. It was nice to be able to start over with something and _not_ be good at it immediately. She'd been drawing for a few weeks now and she liked to think she'd been improving steadily.

Mostly, she focused on landscapes, as they let her take her time and didn't judge. Plus, Vale was a far cry from the cliffs of Mistral and the area around the school was quite beautiful. Today's sunset was a perfect model. So, she took out her pencils and went to work. After about fifteen minutes, she looked down to the ground and spied her partner and someone she didn't know how to feel about. On the one hand. Yang was completely aware that Pyrrha had feelings for Jaune and even told her to her face that he was all hers. Fast forward a few weeks and she's nestled up in his lap, playing with his hair.

On the other hand, this was something Nora had warned her about. There was a limited time and someone was bound to get his attention if she didn't make a move. Pyrrha had been passive and was now being punished for it. She just wished they'd stop rubbing her face in it like it seemed like they were doing so she could just move on already. So, when she watched as they ran to each other and their lips met, Pyrrha and her pencil snapped. She drew the curtains and crumpled up her burgeoning piece. Fine, if Yang wanted to rub her relationship in her face, she was going to make her pay for it.

**So, a quick note for chapter 5. It might take longer than usual to come out. I'm fiddling around with my outline and might end up combining two chapters into one. I'm constantly messing with it and kicking around new ideas so bear with me guys. Also, the never semester will be starting soon so I'll be slowing down then as well. Good news is, the story should be close to done then. The post get together stuff is going to be a new story and coming a few weeks after Faking It finishes up. Also, it's going to be a bunch of one-shot ideas. Pretty sure I said this last chapter but if you skipped that, maybe you'll read this one. Until next time, may Fortune favor you all. **


	5. Finale

**Super Important PSA at the bottom. Also, we got cover art from littlewolf-art on Tumblr, go follow them. **

Yang wasn't_ just_ angry. That would've been far too simple, too familiar. No, she was hurt. Hurt and confused. He'd run away from her yesterday after their kiss and then had the unmitigated _gall_ to ignore her. Her first instinct, after getting through her stunned state, was to hunt him down. Sadly, he was more squirrely than she'd given him credit for and she'd given up after searching for two hours. Her next move was to call him and annoy him into talking to her. That plan failed after three or four attempts when he'd simply turned his Scroll off.

Her final plan was to pound on his door and scream obscenities until he, or really anyone on Team JNPR, opened up. Sadly, either Jaune thought ahead and told them to not open the door for her, or they'd all conveniently stepped out. It didn't matter, all that plan had done was get Professor Goodwitch called and Yang a Saturday detention for disturbing the peace. Dejected and defeated, she returned to her dorm. Naturally, Team RWB_ had heard the commotion and asked what had happened. She ignored them all, choosing to slip on headphones and sulk on her bed.

She took solace in knowing that she could corner him the next day though, and make him explain just what the hell was going on inside his head. So, she bided her time and tried to calm down. Naturally, it didn't really work. Soothing music did absolutely nothing for her, and the meditation stuff that Ren recommended for her a while back only served to aggravate her more. With the training facilities closed for the night, she wasn't able to beat on training robots to relieve herself. She couldn't even go into Vale since Bullheads stopped making trips into the city after sundown on school nights. So, she tried to do the only thing she could do; sleep.

She was up long into the night until the manic energy drifted away and she collapsed into nothingness. As soon as she woke up the next morning, it was back again though. She thought she must've looked positively terrifying, as her team didn't even try to speak to her. Not even Ruby, who'd been dealing with Yang's temper her entire life. Breakfast was eaten in silence with Team RWB_ confused and Team _NPR ignoring her presence. Jaune had the wherewithal to not show up, much to Yang's irritation. Thankfully, Combat Class was next and she knew she could corner Jaune there _and_ work some of her anger out.

As she stepped into the room, she spotted him. He was trying to hide in the corner, attempting to use the shadows as camouflage. His hair had betrayed him though. However,

before she could make her way to him, Professor Goodwitch commanded attention and everyone went to their seats. Not wanting to get in more trouble, she settled for glaring at the blonde boy. The professor was about to call out the first match of the day when Pyrrha raised her hand.

"Excuse me, Professor, I'd like to request a match, please." It wasn't the first time she'd done it. It was how her match against all of Team CRDL was selected after all, but it had been a while since the redhead had done so. Yang hoped against hope that she'd call out her partner and mercilessly beat him into the ground. The Professor nodded and let Pyrrha turn around to call them out face to face.

"Yang." Yang? She was so caught off guard by the challenge that she looked around the room like there was another person with her name, earning a chuckle from some of the students. In any other situation, she'd jump at the chance. Fighting Pyrrha was like fighting a hurricane or an avalanche of sorts. She was a force of nature, easily the best fighter in their grade. But Yang always loved a challenge, and relished the opportunity to fine tune her skills against the best around. Now though, it was strange. Pyrrha wasn't the type to just call out someone randomly and the two had barely spoken as of late. Stranger still was the look in her eye.

Yang was deeply familiar with anger and she could see it in the redhead. It was in everything she did. Her back was stiff and she looked ready to pounce at any moment. Her jaw was locked tight and the familiar smile that she always wore was replaced with a hard, thin line. Frankly, Yang was baffled. She didn't remember doing anything especially egregious to the redhead. They may not have been on friendly terms at the moment but they weren't actively hostile. Still, she couldn't back down from a challenge and being able to work off the anger would be a prize in and of itself.

"Alright, let's go." Yang began to walk to the locker room to change out of her uniform and into her fighting gear when Pyrrha spoke again.

"If it's alright with you Professor, and you as well Yang, I'd like this match to be Barebones." Now that was something Yang hadn't done in a long time. Barebones was simple, it meant there would be no weapons, Dust, or semblances, the only thing you were allowed was your Aura and your extremities. The professor seemed just as caught off guard as Yang was.

"Ms. Nikos, what you ask for is highly… unusual." She nodded.

"I'm aware Professor. However, it's been quite a while since I've had a match like this and I think it would be valuable to maintain such skills." The blonde woman looked to Yang who shrugged. It didn't really matter to her. Sure, not having Ember Celica to use would make things difficult but it would pale in comparison to the advantage of not having to deal with Pyrrha's Semblance. Yang was confident in her combat skills but she had nothing to counter the redhead's Polarity.

"If both parties consent, then I see no reason to stand in the way. A Barebones match this will be." Goodwitch tapped something on her tablet and their faces jumped up onto the big screen. Yang slid into the locker room and changed into her combat gear, leaving her weapons in the locker. She did a quick stretch routine before stepping out. Pyrrha stood in the arena's center, stretching out her shoulder and never taking her eyes off of Yang. In that moment, Yang didn't feel so much like a person, more a piece of meat being dangled in front of a wild animal. She shook the feeling off and slid into her stance. She spared a glance to the crowd and saw that Jaune had moved up from the corner and sat next to Ruby, who was talking his ear off. He didn't seem to be paying her any mind though. Yang bared her teeth at him and he shrunk back before she turned to her opponent. Now wasn't the time for distractions.

It was apparent from the get go that this fight with Pyrrha wasn't going to be like any other. Not just because of the lack of resources at their disposal, but in terms of styles. Yang was a student of fighting as much as she was of her normal classes. She loved the thrill of a good fight and loved to pick up little techniques from those around her. Naturally, since she was the best and the only person she knew that appeared on TV, Yang spent an inordinate amount of time watching Pyrrha's matches. The redhead was always so composed and in control. She never showed anything on her face and every step seemed to be calculated to give her the best chance to land a strike or get out of the way of one. The four-time Mistral Regional Champion never rushed headlong into a fight… until today.

Yang hadn't been expecting the aggression and it cost her dearly. Pyrrha flew at her like a bolt of lightning with such a perfect right hook that the blonde brawler almost wept for its fleeting beauty. She stepped back, absorbing the left cross with her forearm and looking to stabilize herself. Pyrrha continued pushing forward, throwing out two quick jabs at Yang's gut that connected. Then, she was on the receiving end of a brutal kick to the thigh that sent a lance of pain up her leg.

Yang thought this was insane. Technically speaking, she'd been hit harder in her life. Going into a profession where you fight people with weapons bigger than your entire body tended to do that. However, she'd never been struck so hard by someone's limb before and was actively crushing down the urge to channel the damage into her Semblance. She knew that Pyrrha was a once in a generation fighter but she'd always assumed that there was some kind of fall off when she wasn't using her weapons.

A second kick rocketed forward, this time at Yang's head. She slipped underneath it, letting the redhead's leg sit on her shoulder, and rushed forward, trying to take Pyrrha to the floor. The redhead pushed herself off of one foot and drove a knee up under Yang's chin, essentially guillotining her head. Instead of taking advantage of her stunned state, Pyrrha crept forward like a lioness, toying with her prey. Yang was busy trying to count and ensure she still had all her teeth as she took cautious steps backwards. She needed a second to think of a plan of attack.

Pyrrha had her in length, being near six feet tall with legs that went on and on would do that. Her reaction time and hand speed were also nothing short of incredible. Still, Yang was confident in two things; that she was stronger and had more hand to hand experience. She had to, if for any reason that she had been fighting with her fists nearly all her life. She spared a glance up at the Aura reader and it confirmed her suspicions: Pyrrha was kicking her ass.

Deciding that she didn't want to be a human punching bag anymore, she stepped and met her opponent head on. Yang threw out her own combinations of lefts and rights, switching up her targets between brain and body shots. With every blow, she felt her blood sing and the world began to fall away until it was just the two of them. Pyrrha threw out a soft left that Yang ate and countered with another savage round of punches to the midsection. She needed to keep the redhead on the defensive, she needed to be an unending wave.

All in all, she probably threw close to forty punches before Pyrrha made a meaningful counter attack. Some were dodged and others were contained but enough landed that Yang could see the affects in her opponent's stance. She'd begun to cover up her ribs more and kept her chin tucked in tight. Yang was sure she had her on the ropes, and was about to go in for the finale with a big right hand when Pyrrha sidestepped. She'd managed to trap the blonde's arm over her shoulder and slid into Yang's personal space. From there, she wailed on the blonde brawler with relentless, sloppy hooks and quashed the escape attempts before they could even begin. With every strike, Yang could feel the rage building. She wanted so badly to unleash her Semblance and go ballistic, turn the tide of battle and stop getting her face beaten in. She reached down inside herself and tried to think of anything that could get her out of this situation. Then, it hit her.

Or rather, Pyrrha's hair did. In the position Pyrrha had her arm in, the redhead's hair kept brushing against her fingers. Yang took advantage of that, eating a few more clean blows to do so, and eventually snagged a handful. Using all of the strength she could, she wrenched the champion's head back, earning a cry of shock and pain. The redhead's hand went back to free herself and Yang took advantage of the opening. She began pummeling her ribcage with left hands and every time Pyrrha tried to escape, she tugged on the ponytail even harder.

Yang watched as the anger that sat in Pyrrha's eyes boiled over into complete and utter rage. Her hand shot out, knotting up in Yang's own golden curls and very much tried to mirror what was being done to her. From there, it became a contest of who could do more with their nondominant hand. All the while, Yang could feel her Semblance screaming out at her. She longed to call upon it. With how much damage she'd sustained, the resulting onslaught that would follow her Semblance's activation would be a thing ripped right out of a story book.

Closing her eyes, she focused and fought against the urge once again. Yang yanked hard on Pyrrha's hair and she made a move to get them out of this clinch. She drove her head forward, the crown of her skull colliding with the redhead's nose. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn she heard the crunch of bone. The hand gripping her hair was gone and she used the opportunity to press the attack, throwing out a series of crosses and jabs at her friend's face.

The champion struggled to recover as Yang rained down blows like a vengeful god. Pyrrha could only dodge and slip punches while Yang closed in for the kill. After a particularly vicious cross to the chin, the redhead ducked a right hand and did something Yang had never seen her, or anyone really, do before; she spat right in the blonde brawler's face. A single thought drifted through her mind. Rules be damned. And she felt her eyes shift from a soft lilac to blood red.

Before she could move forward with the beating of a lifetime, Yang felt a force begin to tug her away from Pyrrha and fought against it with everything she had. She wanted to keep going, wanted to get vengeance. From the look on her face, the redhead wanted to keep going just as badly. She had the look of a woman possessed, her eyes were wild with fury and Yang could swear she could hear growling.

"Ms. Nikos! Ms. Xiao-Long! I don't know what has gotten into you two today, you especially Ms. Nikos! I mean honestly, pulling hair? Spitting in your opponent's face? In a school spar? Absolutely ridiculous!" She shook her head. "Not to mention that the match had been called five strikes ago!" The professor's words helped drag her back to reality and she peered over to see the Aura reader. Both her and Pyrrha were below five percent Aura. There was no way they'd be able to stop themselves in the melee and as soon as someone was hit without the protective barrier, the consequences could be disastrous. She was angry now, sure, but she didn't want to actually hurt her friend. Not in the way that hitting someone without protection would at least.

She wiped the spit from her face with the back of her hand and scowled. She hadn't thought Pyrrha capable of such dirty fighting but then again, she hadn't thought of her as much of a hand to hand fighter either.

"In all my years of instructing, I've never had two students show such blatant disregard for the rules of combat. I'll see that you're punished accordingly as soon as class is finished. Until then, Professor Port with stay with you outside my office." She pulled out her Scroll and made a call. Less than a minute later, a very snotty and surprisingly pale Professor Port showed up.

"Good afternoon chil-" A sneeze ripped through his introduction. It seemed that his flu was still giving him problems. Yang made a mental note to bathe in hand sanitizer when she got the chance.

"Peter." Goodwitch's voice was hard as she explained what had happened. "Take these girls to my office and ensure they stay there until I arrive." The man nodded his head and walked her and Pyrrha to the deputy headmistress's office, making sure to stand in between them. Thankfully, it was a short walk, though it was filled with coughing fits and salvos of sneezes. The two girls took seats on opposite sides of the large double doors that led to Goodwitch's office. Port placed his fists on his hips, his eyes narrowing at them both.

"I expected better from you two, especially you Ms. Nikos." Pyrrha didn't spare him a glance, instead staring at the floor. When it seemed like the rotund professor was about to give them quite a tongue lashing, Yang heard the telltale sign of an upset stomach. "Oh no." Port looked around as the gurgling grew louder. "Stay right there!" Immediately, he ran into a nearby bathroom and, if the noise was anything to go by, he began evacuating his stomach quite forcefully.

Yang hoped that Port would return soon, if for any reason, then to have someone else to focus on other than Pyrrha. She was still angry, not frothing at the mouth and itching to hit someone like she was during their fight, but Yang did reflexively clench and unclench her fists until her hands were tired. After nearly five minutes with the only company being Port's digestive pyrotechnics, Yang gave up hope that he would be coming back and it would be just the two of them until Goodwitch came in to give them the tongue lashing of a lifetime.

She wasn't really worried about the punishment, though she probably should've been. If she was honest, she hadn't even really thought about it. The only thing that did enter her mind though was a question; why did Pyrrha do what she did? You didn't spit in someone's face unless there was a serious problem going on between you and them. It was a gross and underhanded tactic that had no place in a street fight, let alone in a friendly spar. Yang began to wrack her brain and tried to figure out what she could've done.

They hadn't exactly moved forward from their cold shoulder routines, more they'd moved to the side. They weren't actively ignoring each other or making snooty faces at one another, more so they just… existed together. Maybe a nod here or there when their teams were hanging out, but little else other than that. Yang wasn't one to talk about someone behind their back so that wasn't it. She hadn't been making out with Jaune in front of her or doing anything overtly discomforting, unless one considered frequent touching such a thing. When it was clear that she wasn't going to come up with the answer herself, she thought it best to ask the source. It's not like the situation between them could get much worse. She just needed to ask what was happening in a calm, neutral tone of voice like her dad used to use on her.

"What's your problem?" She spat. Internally, she began to kick herself. Never let it be said that Yang Xiao-Long was a master politician. Thankfully, Pyrrha didn't jump out of her seat and rekindle their fight, instead she sighed and turned her head. This only served to put Yang in an even worse mood. "Tell me, damn it. You pulled my hair! You _**spit**_ in my face during a spar! I think I deserve to know why at least." When she wasn't given an answer, Yang groaned and ran her hand through her hair. Thankfully, Pyrrha hadn't done any significant damage, nothing that couldn't be fixed with some creative layering and a bit of time.

"I believe it was you that started it." Yang leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees.

"Excuse me?" Was she right? Yeah, but that didn't really matter now, not to Yang at least.

"You pulled my hair first." Yang scoffed.

"So obviously the next thing you do is spit in someone's face. Got it." Silence set in again for nearly a minute as Pyrrha continued to stare at the floor.

"I was… angry." Yang rolled her eyes.

"Oh really? I couldn't tell." Her words positively dripped with sarcasm as she folded her arms over her chest.

"For what it's worth. I am sorry that I spit on you. I… wasn't in my right mind. I was just so angry and I was losing. I…" She trailed off and Yang sighed.

"Did I do something to you?" It was Pyrrha's turn to scoff.

"Do you even have to ask?" Yang ran a hand through her hair as Pyrrha looked up from the floor at her. "Why'd you do it?" Guilt began to gnaw at her, supplanting the anger that she'ed been holding onto. Did she mean the dating thing? That had to be it, it was the only thing that made sense. Before she could reply, Pyrrha continued. "You knew that I liked him, it seems that everyone _but_ Jaune knew, so why? You never showed any interest in him before. You treated him more like a casual acquaintance, I wouldn't even have gone so far as to call you both friends." Her volume was rising and the veneer of control was slipping away.

"I…" Yang stuttered out, the pit of guilt wasn't gnawing any longer, it was beginning to consume her whole.

"And then to rub it in my face, every day, for weeks! Every single time, you two would be all over each other. Constantly cuddling or sneaking glances when you thought nobody was looking! And then there was the kiss yesterday in full view of my dorm! Why!? Have you secretly hated me this whole time and wanted to flaunt Jaune around like a prize? Do you get some satisfaction from taking something someone cares about?"

"We…" Her heart threatened to break through her chest. Her mind just kept screaming to tell her. Shove off this burden and free herself.

"Do you know how hard it is to move on from someone when they're constantly in your life? Do you know how much harder it is when their new relationship is front and center at nearly all hours of the day? It's nearly imp-"

"IT'S FAKE!" The words left Yang's mouth before she could stop them. The cat was out of the bag now. "Me and Jaune aren't really together. Or, we weren't at first. I don't know now. But we weren't really a couple, we did it to help you." It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop on the other side of campus. When Pyrrha next spoke, her voice was softer than Yang had ever heard it before.

"What?" A simple question, one of the simplest and most charged questions in all of language. The dam broke and Yang told her everything. From the nightclub, to the locker room, to the sparring, to the kiss. No detail was left out, even the minute ones about what kind of pizza she enjoys and how she likes to pull her partner's hair when kissing.

Pyrrha was quiet after Yang finished and she feared she'd short-circuited the redhead. Then the yelling started. It was a near apocalyptic event, complete with pacing and finger pointing. It scarier than anything she'd ever experienced, being alone in that forest with Ruby and getting chewed out by her dad after destroying Junior's club included. She was sure she was called every insult that Pyrrha knew and it hit home even harder when the tears began to spill down the redhead's face. Yang wasn't sure how long it lasted, it felt like hours, but eventually, it did stop and the only sound in the hallway was Pyrrha's heavy breathing and Port's continued vomiting coming from the bathroom. Her voice was soft and shaking as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry that we lied to you. I'm sorry that we rubbed it in your face. I'm sorry that we hurt you like we did. It was wrong." Pyrrha nodded and wiped her eyes.

"It was." She sighed, brushing hair out of her face and composing herself. "Why didn't he just _talk _to me? Does he think I can't handle rejection? That I'm a child?" Yang shook her head.

"That isn't it at all. It may have been a stupid plan." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "OK, an impossibly stupid plan, but it was well intentioned. He didn't want to hurt you and ruin the friendship you two had." Pyrrha stared at her for a second before sighing and giving a small nod.

"That does sound like something he would do."

"Still, he should've just gone to you in the first place and nipped this in the bud. Now we're all in trouble."

"Yes, he should have." Yang sat there awkwardly and watched Pyrrha ease herself back into her chair, her head resting back against the wall. "I guess it's to be expected." Yang cocked an eyebrow. "This is the same Jaune Arc that, when Cardin found out his transcripts were fake and decided to blackmail him into being his lackey, didn't go to anyone or even ask his teammates for help. No, he panicked and wanted to deal with it himself and it nearly cost him all of his friends." The word "panic" struck a chord with Yang in that moment and things began to fall into place. When they kissed, she thought she saw something in his eyes, something in the same family as fear, but she wrote it off as a trick of the light. Now though…

"He panicked…" Her voice was low, barely above a whisper, her fingers stroking her chin.

"What was that?"

"I said 'he panicked', That explains everything…" For a second, her heart said maybe he _did _feel the same way as she did. Maybe they could be a _real _couple. Then though, it came plummeting back down to the dirt. He still refused to talk about any of this with her. If Yang wanted this fixed, she'd have to confront him herself. In that moment, she completely understood Pyrrha and sympathized even more with her rage. "Pyrrha!" The redhead jumped, raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Can you get me Jaune's location right now?"

"I can… why?" She replied cautiously.

"Because I need to talk to him about everything that happened and do a proper confession before I lose my nerve!" Pyrrha crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why should I help you after everything you've done?" Yang thought for a second and couldn't come up with anything. It really was quite presumptuous for her to assume Pyrrha help her after everything, wasn't it? What had Yang done to deserve any help in this endeavor? Why shouldn't Pyrrha just leave her to find him on her own and deal with the mess she'd helped to make?

"Because… because…" She sighed; her voice dejected. "You shouldn't. I have no right to ask you for anything. I'm sorry." She stood up and took a breath. Leaving now was going to get her in even more trouble. She'd probably never see a day outside of the confines of Goodwitch's office and most certainly never go a day without a paper to write or extra reading. Still, she needed to find Jaune and make this right, a real shot with someone who made her happy was worth it. And maybe if she explained all that, Goodwitch would be lenient. She scoffed internally, like that would ever happen. Her feet began to carry her down the hall when Pyrrha called out.

"Just a moment." Yang turned to see the redhead standing there, Scroll in hand. "This… this is all real now, right?" She nodded.

"Yeah. It is." Pyrrha opened her Scroll and tapped the screen several times.

"He's on the roof of our dorm." Yang stared at her, a smile finding her face.

"Thanks." She took off in the direction of the building but paused and looked back. "Why?" The redhead brought a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"He's happy when he's with you. Happier than I've ever seen him at Beacon. That's all I ever wanted for him." Yang's chest swelled with pride and she broke off in a dead sprint.

-/-

Jaune Arc knew he was capable of being very stupid. Stupid, and more than a bit panicky. That combination had gotten him in quite a bit of trouble over the years. When he and one of his sisters were rough housing back in the day and broke the TV, he decided it was a great idea to simply take the destroyed electronic and bury it in the backyard. Naturally, it had been found and he'd been summarily punished. Then there was when he'd been forced into being Cardin's lackey because he didn't know what else to do and was too afraid (or prideful) to ask for help from his friends. Now though, the situation he was in really took the cake.

His plan to help Pyrrha move on from him was bad from the beginning. He may not have been aware at the time but now, after going about it for a few weeks, he could see just how poorly thought out it was. He was as impressed at his capacity for bad ideas as he was ashamed. Then, he'd gone and fallen for Yang and kissed her! And now, he was hiding because he'd panicked and run away.

He was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. He couldn't run forever, Yang slept just across the hall for crying out loud. Still, the thought of facing her and owning up to that mistake was… harrowing. Jaune still had some pride left and he was sure that having to swallow it all and beg for forgiveness would be quite a task. And then there was the chance of her not accepting it! That would crush him. It would truly cement his screwups and ruin the best (and only) relationship he'd ever been in, fake or otherwise.

So, he sat atop the dorms and let the cool afternoon air wash over him. The sky above was dotted with wispy clouds that stared back at him, providing no answers and offering no suggestions. For the tenth time since he'd gone up there, he pulled out his Scroll and thumbed over Yang's contact. He knew he should call her and ask to meetup so he could explain everything. But how do you explain that you're prone to making stupid decisions when things matter?

His finger hovered over the "call" button, trembling with anticipation. After ten seconds, he let out a groan of frustration and closed the tab, slipping the Scroll back into his pocket. He needed more time to come up with something. A proper explanation. Jaune was so focused on his thoughts that he failed to hear the sound of fast-moving footsteps coming up the stairwell. He didn't realize he wasn't alone until he heard someone clear their throat. He turned and saw her. Her hair was out of sorts and he could see beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. She looked like she'd run all the way across campus. Still, his mind was blank save for one word. _Wow. _

He flinched as she crossed the distance between them in a few strides, getting right up in his space. She was barely a hair's length away, close enough that he could see the small cluster of freckles just above her eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak but only silence came out. His mind began to scream at him. Say something! Anything at all! You owe her that much at least!

"N- N- Nice day out, huh?" Now, he wished his Semblance was spontaneous combustion so her could leave this mortal plane. Yang's eyes narrowed in confusion. She looked around the area, presumably experiencing the "nice day". She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak. In that moment though, he regained some cognitive abilities and cut her off. "That was stupid. I'm sorry!" His cheeks burned a deep red and he contemplated jumping off the building.

Yang gave him a small smile and Jaune felt his heart flutter. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. For just a moment, he thought about all of the amazing things he'd witnessed over the years. The first time he saw Crocea Mors on the mantle. The look on his parent's faces when he'd told then he'd gotten into Beacon. The majesty of seeing the school come over the horizon. All of them paled in comparison to Yang. The shame of running away set in again and he shifted his gaze to the floor. He wasn't worthy to look at her. As he did though, he felt fingers touch his chin and he was reset back to looking into pools of lilac.

"We need to talk." His stomach dropped into his knees and he began to sputter out half formed words. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself and nod.

"I'm sorry." She patted his cheek and sighed.

"You should be." She took a breath and continued. "I know why you ran." He rubbed his cheek against her hand, letting the calluses glide along his skin.

"I panicked." She hummed in agreement.

"Pyrrha said you have a tendency to do that." She let out a soft chuckle. "I guess I should've seen that coming. It's how we got into this mess after all." He looked up and smiled sadly.

"I guess it is." Her hand slid from his cheek down to her side.

"Can you tell me why?" Jaune ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"That was my first kiss." He let the words hang in the air as he turned from her to the expanse of Beacon's main square. "It was everything I'd ever wanted but I was so overwhelmed by all of it that I guess I panicked and ran away." He looked down to the rooftop and began to ramble. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, but I really like you and still don't know how to process everything. Until we started this thing I'd never been in a relationship and didn't know it could be this scary! But that kiss was unlike anything I'd ever experienced and I know I messed up and I have no right to ask for forgiveness so I won't even try. Even when it was fake, I dreamt that we were really a couple and it was… it was like lightning. I wanted to bottle that feeling up and hold onto it forever and I probably could've. I may not be that smart but even _I_ know a kiss like that means something… but I screwed it all up and now I'll nev-" She spun him around and kissed him.

Bubblegum. Yang used bubblegum flavored toothpaste. Normally, he was pretty ambivalent to the flavor, never having been a big gum chewer. Now however, he couldn't think about it the same way. It would forever be associated with the most incredible girl he'd ever met. He became eerily aware that he hadn't brushed his teeth since the night before and hoped that she wouldn't judge him too harshly for it.

Not entirely sure what to do with his hands, he opted to follow Yang's lead and place them on his partner's hips. Her skin was smooth and hard, monuments to the insanely high work ethic. He wanted nothing more than to trace the curvature of her abs and kiss her all night but all good things must end. When she pulled away, Jaune heard himself almost whimper.

"No more running." He nodded along with her words. He agreed with her words but honestly, he would've agreed with anything she said at this point. His lips curled into a smile and when hers did the same, he nearly squealed in delight. He pried a hand from her core and sought out her fingers. His closed over hers and he rested his forehead against hers.

"Thank you." Her lips found his again, albeit for a much shorter amount of time than previously.

"You're out of chances now. If you run away like that again…" He nodded and made an X over his heart.

"I won't leave again, Arc's Word. An Arc never goes back on his word." She smiled bright enough blot out the stars in the sky.

"Glad to hear it." He did his best to return the favor and the two of them enjoyed the whipping wind and the dull roar of campus life from below. It wasn't peaceful in the traditional sense but Jaune always found it comforting. Coming from a house with eight children and two parents meant that silence wasn't in abundance. He let out a low hum and spoke.

"So, now what?" She pinched his palm hard enough to make him yelp.

"Now, you go apologize to your partner." He nodded. That seemed fair.

"It'll be nice to tell her the truth about all of this." Yang ran a hand through her hair and chuckled awkwardly.

"Funny story about that. I… may have already told her when we were waiting for Goodwitch." He sighed, his eyebrows creasing in confusion.

"Uh, Ok. But, why?" She shrugged.

"I was feeling guilty and she was yelling." A smirk appeared on her lips. "I guess you could say I panicked." His cheeks darkened a bit. She kissed his cheek and he smiled again.

"I guess that makes my job a bit easier than." She giggled and he brushed a hand against her cheek before stopping as a ding echoed from Yang's Scroll. She sighed as she read the message and he cocked his head to the side. "Something wrong?" She shrugged.

"Obviously you saw that fight with me and Pyrrha earlier and all the stuff Goodwitch said afterwards" He nodded. "Well, I may or may not have left to find you before she showed up to give us our punishments." Jaune groaned and felt his chest swell with a mix of pride and shame. She'd risked the wrath of Glynda Goodwitch for _him_. On the same token, she was going to feel the _true _wrath of Goodwitch because of him. Oops. "Pyrrha managed to talk her down from suspending me but I have detention for the next three months." Jaune whistled. That was a rough one and he didn't envy her position. "All things considered, that isn't that bad."

"Yeah. I'm kind of surprised. Pyrrha must've been really persuasive." For a moment, everything was peaceful until her Scroll started ringing again. She picked up the call and Jaune caught the words "Daddy-O" on the caller ID.

"THREE MONTHS!? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Against his better judgement, Jaune began to laugh. A second later, Yang joined in, all the while the person on the other end of the call screamed and screamed.

**Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. Writer's block set in and then I redid my outline and had to actually write the story to fit the outline. Then I rewrote a bunch of it multiple times and finally, spent the last week or so editing this thing so I could actually be satisfied with it. None of that is the important part though. This is.**

** This is the last chapter of Faking It. **

** In the original set up, this was two chapters but after looking it over I thought it better to turn them into 1 so it didn't feel so split. Also, in my outline changes, I realized that the chapter after this was useless and messed up my pacing. On top of that, it ends on a weaker note than this did and I wasn't married to the idea enough to deal with it. So yeah, this is the finale. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll be back sometime in October with the one shots thing so follow me on here to get that when it comes out. More on that when they start coming out. **

** I want to thank each and every one of you though. This is easily the most popular thing I've ever written and its really nice to have something you're passionate about also be the thing that gets the most attention. Let me know how you felt about all of this in a review and I'll see you guys in the next story. Until then, may Fortune favor you all. **


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